Membership In Organizations Research Articles

The impacts of Timor-Leste’s membership in the WTO:

The paper presents information about the significant impacts of Timor-Leste's membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO) on institutional reforms, trade policy challenges, and the prospects for ASEAN membership. The paper explores the comprehensive institutional reforms required by WTO membership, emphasizing the harmonization of over 300 economic legislations with WTO standards. The paper also acknowledges that Timor-Leste encounters challenges, including opportunities for strengthening the capacity of human resource and further development of a comprehensive trade policy framework. Additionally, trade negotiations with ten WTO member states on market access for goods and services, including the Information Technology Agreement (ITA), were carefully considered as part of Timor-Leste's WTO commitments, with the expectation of smooth implementation upon the country's membership of the WTO. The study also discusses the use of tariff protectionism as a strategy to safeguard sensitive domestic industries in Timor-Leste, while remaining in compliance with WTO rules in the future.

Assessment of Practice Preparedness among Novice Nurses in Private Hospitals: A Cross-sectional Study

Background. The crop of novice nurses who are currently employed is a product of flexible learning who had limited contact hours with actual patients, which is contrary to those who graduated from traditional learning modalities. Hence, it is essential to evaluate how the impact of flexible learning modality has affected the practice preparedness levels of novice nurses in the hospital setting. Objective. This study aimed to determine the level of practice preparedness and its associated factors among novice nurses who work in private hospitals. Methods. The study utilized a cross-sectional survey design. Data was gathered from a total enumeration of ninetyfour novice staff nurses who graduated from the flexible learning curriculum and are currently employed in private hospitals in Baguio City and La Trinidad. The tool used was a questionnaire in two parts. Part 1 consisted of questions related to demographic information and factors related to practice preparedness, and part 2 included the Nursing Practice Readiness Scale, with validity and reliability scores of >0.924 and 0.90, respectively. The data was analyzed using the SPSS V27 trial version. The protocol was approved by the Saint Louis University Research Ethics Committee. Results. Findings reveal that more novice nurses in private hospitals perceived themselves as well-prepared across all domains of practice preparedness: “Collaborative Interpersonal Relationship” (n = 94, 100%); “Patient Centeredness” (n = 92, 97.90%); “Self-regulation” (n = 90, 95.70%); “Clinical Judgment and Nursing Performance” (n = 78, 83.00%); and “Professional Attitudes” (n = 76, 80.90%). There is a significant association between practice preparedness and the following factors: “Attended more than one Training/Seminars per year” (p = 0.02), “Graduated from Private Schools” (p = 0.03), and “Assigned in Regular Wards” (p = 0.05).On the other hand, no significant association was found between practice preparedness and the following factors: “Sex” (p = 0.61) and “Membership in Professional Organizations” (p = 0.73). Conclusion. In agreement with existing studies, practice preparedness is multifactorial. However, what this study contributes are new factors that are favorable in making novice nurses more confident in performing their roles and responsibilities. These include being a graduate of private schools, being assigned to regular wards, and attending professional training/seminars more than once annually. Advantageously, these factors that promote practice preparedness are modifiable.

Finland: Political Developments and Data in 2023

AbstractParliamentary elections in 2023 brought in a discourse on debt. Power was passed from the Marin I to the Orpo I government. This was historically the most right‐wing government to date in Finland, whose formation also took historically long but finally united both the populist‐nativist right with the liberal right in the same coalition. The ministerial appointments raised questions among the opposition, and the issue of racism was discussed in connection to the coalition partners. The government's austerity policies sought to limit the power of trade unions, which in turn generated strong reactions. Proposals to limit strike action were faced with opposition. As the three largest parties shifted around, the political centre chose to remain in the opposition and also took issue with the underfunding of social services. The parliamentary polarisation formed a stark contrast to the consensual way in which Finland had approached North Atlantic Treaty Organisation membership, for which a compatible institutional setting was built.

Values as Master Identities within Identity Structures

A long-standing sociological puzzle deals with how societies shape individuals and their identities. Sociologists have theorized that identities are organized around core elements, termed “master identities,” that influence the adoption and expression of other identities. In this study, I examine the position of values as master identities within identity frameworks. I investigate the link between conservation and self-transcendence values and holding a diverse set of voluntary memberships. Additionally, I explore whether values mediate the relationship between age, gender, and memberships in voluntary organizations. Using multilevel structural equation models and data from the European Social Survey 2002, I find that conservation and self-transcendence are both directly associated with holding memberships across domains and mediate the relationship between both age and gender and voluntary memberships.

CEO Connectedness and Firm Transparency

ABSTRACTOur research reveals that CEO connections with Audit Committee directors, established through past employment, education, or social organization memberships, significantly impact firm transparency. These connections increase the likelihood of firms issuing less transparent and readable financial reports. Furthermore, these connections are linked to decreased long‐term firm value and increased crash risk. Our findings underscore the crucial role of CEO connectedness in corporate disclosure transparency and firm value. We employed multiple methodologies to address endogeneity concerns. Our results remain robust.

Interview with Professor Colin Murrell

Prof. Colin Murrell, a distinguished microbiologist and Emeritus Professor at the University of East Anglia, UK, is well known for his contributions to various areas of environmental microbiology and microbial ecology. Prof. Murrell has received several awards, including election to membership of the European Molecular Biology Organisation, the European Academy of Microbiology, the Chinese Academy of Sciences Distinguished Professor (Einstein) Award. He was awarded a highly prestigious European Research Council Advanced Grant and has been member of many editorial boards of leading microbiological journals including Environmental Microbiology and the ISME Journal. He has graduated over 60 PhD students and supervised around 150 researchers throughout his career. His research interests are immense, extending from the development of analytical tools in molecular microbial ecology to their testing in the field, which is reflected in his extensive publication list of over 350 highly cited papers in prestigious journals. His pioneering research has significantly improved our understanding of microbial processes in diverse environments, from soil to aquatic and marine ecosystems. More recently, he has extended his scientific curiosity to karst and caves, in particular to the Movile Cave in Romania, which represents a cornerstone for understanding the role of chemolithoautotrophy in caves.

Factors influencing smallholder participation in commercial tree growing outgrower schemes: the case of Namwasa outgrower scheme in Uganda

Over the past 30 years, outgrower/contract farming has been promoted as an institutional innovation to boost agricultural and farm forestry in less developed countries. Understanding factors that make outgrower arrangements beneficial is crucial to realizing their full potential. This study examines a commercial tree-growing outgrower scheme in Uganda, assessing socioeconomic factors influencing farmers' participation and their motivations. Data collection utilized a mixed-method approach, including semi-structured interviews (n = 80), focus group discussions, and key informant interviews. Findings revealed that participation was significantly associated with the purpose for the trees (χ2 = 19.7875, p = 0.00005), membership in farmer-based organizations (χ2 = 76.05, p = 2.77E-18), and household size (χ2 = 14.12667, p = 0.000856). Key motivations were access to quality seedlings, rated very important by 95% of respondents, and farm credits, rated very important and important by 43.8% and 36.3% of farmers, respectively. Additionally, 96.3% and 95% considered training in agrochemical application and in planting, maintenance, and harvesting techniques, respectively, as very important. Most farmers (93%) preferred on-spot cash payment over payment in kind. 55% of farmers preferred donation with charge while 45% preferred purchasing inputs at a subsidized price. Most farmers (65%) favored a cost-sharing arrangement for harvesting costs, and 98% wanted the company to cover post-harvest expenses. This study highlights the need of considering farmers' socioeconomic characteristics and preferences for contractual arrangements when designing outgrower schemes, as well providing seedlings, financial support, and training to enhance participation.

Leaders Benefit From Organizational Membership: Perspectives From the United States and Canada.

This article explores the value of nurse leader membership in professional organizations in the United States and Canada. Benefits include the sharing of scholarly information, enlarging networks, and professional development.

Branding locally produced chicken in Ghana: An application of discrete choice experiment

Branding is gradually becoming an essential component of successful agribusinesses and a significant motivation to boost modern agriculture. The study aimed to investigate broiler farmers' choices and preferences for branding locally produced chicken in Ghana. Primary data was collected from 562 broiler producers using a multistage sampling technique. The Discrete Choice Experiment model, which comprises random parameter logit and conditional logit models, was used to analyse farmers' preferences for branding attributes and willingness to brand locally produced chicken. Branding attributes of brand source, production claim, form of branded chicken, percentage of farm use, and price were analysed. Averagely, farmers were willing to pay US$0.59 to brand 1.9 kg of processed chicken. Further, household size, brand source, production claim, form of branded chicken, percentage of farm use, and membership of a farmer-based organisation positively influenced farmers' willingness to brand locally produced chicken. In contrast, price negatively influenced farmers’ preference for branding. Farmers should produce brands with these unique attributes to boost sales, improve income and enhance the competitiveness in the poultry industry.

Cluster analysis of travel behaviour threats in chosen European functional urban areas during the economic crisis

Motives: Urban mobility models are constantly changing due to economic, social, infrastructural, and geographical factors. Preferences for transport modes vary by country, region, and city, and transport infrastructure and policy have a significant impact on residents’ choices. Additionally, economic factors such as economic crises, public policy decisions, and events such as armed conflicts have a significant impact on the dynamics of mobility in functional urban areas (FUAs).Aim: The main goal of the research was to create groups of countries (clusters) that have similar priorities regarding travel behaviour threats revealed as a result of the economic crisis resulting from the conflict in Ukraine.Results: The study shows that the main threats during the economic crisis (resulting from the war in Ukraine) are economic factors (e.g., ticket prices, an increase in fuel costs), legal factors (e.g., loss of a driving license or passenger transport license), and infrastructural factors (e.g., poor condition of infrastructure). The analysed countries were grouped based on the hierarchical prioritization of threats, using Ward’s hierarchical clustering method. Interestingly, the distance from the conflict epicentre did not significantly influence the prioritization of threat factors influencing transportation behaviour in FUAs. Instead, factors such as membership in international organizations, energy dependence on Russia, the level of economic growth, and transport infrastructure played a more key role in the priority-setting process.

The Role of Organisational Factors and Working Conditions for the Autonomy of Journalists in an Unstable Economy

ABSTRACT The article examines which organisational factors and working conditions are more or less significant for developing journalistic professional autonomy under unfavourable economic conditions. The empirical study employs the case of Lithuania, as the autonomy of journalists working in this country is relatively well guaranteed at the system level of the media. However, the economic context in Lithuania has been unfavourable for media organisations in recent years. The analysis is based on data from a representative survey of Lithuanian journalists, in which 302 journalists from all media sectors were interviewed. The study found that a higher position in the editorial, a higher income, longer working hours per week and membership in professional organisations are associated with greater professional freedom. Owners, managers, editors, editorial policy, and, in some cases, advertising decisions and profit expectations are the organisational factors that significantly limit the autonomy of Lithuanian journalists. If we divide the media by sector, into public and private-commercial or national, regional and local, we see apparent differences where the mentioned factors have no influence or are very pronounced. We found no differences in the perception of autonomy between freelance and contract journalists in Lithuania.

Examining Local Government’s Web-Based Climate Risk Transparency in Florida

The article draws from institutional and social vulnerability theories and examines the determinants of climate risk transparency by local governments. Using data from Florida cities, the study investigates the impact of membership in climate networks and local socioeconomic and sociodemographic factors on web-based climate risk transparency. The findings support the view that membership in climate compact organizations, such as the International Council of Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) and Southeast Florida Regional Climate Compact (SEFRCC), serve as institutional factors that lead to climate risk disclosures and contribute to improved adaptive governance and transparency. It also shows that college education, which likely enhances individuals’ ability to search for, interpret, and use information regarding climate risk, contributes to the decision to disclose information. Lastly, it reveals that bigger cities are more likely to disclose climate risk to mitigate these threats because disasters in large urban centers affect businesses and commuters and cause more significant damage than in smaller towns.

Accountable care organizations and HPV vaccine uptake: a multilevel analysis.

To examine associations between accountable care organization (ACO) membership and human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination and to evaluate variation in HPV vaccination across ACO providers. Retrospective cohort study. We analyzed the records of commercially insured children and adolescents aged 11 to 14 years using Connecticut's All-Payer Claims Database from January 2012 to December 2017. A total of 23,911 adolescents receiving care from 933 ACO-attributable providers and 923 non-ACO-attributable providers were included. The mean rate of HPV vaccine initiation was 53% overall (51% among boys, 55% among girls). Among those who initiated the vaccine, the mean rate of HPV vaccine completion was 69% (67% among boys, 70% among girls). Adolescents receiving care at ACOs vs non-ACOs were significantly more likely to receive initial HPV vaccination (OR, 1.80; 95% CI, 1.69-1.91) and to complete the HPV vaccine series (OR, 1.12; 95% CI, 1.01-1.23). Among adolescents receiving care in ACOs, providers were responsible for 14% of variability in HPV vaccine initiation and 10% of variability in HPV vaccine completion and ACOs were responsible for less than 1% of variability in HPV vaccine initiation and completion. Adolescents receiving care from ACOs were significantly more likely to initiate and complete HPV vaccination than were adolescents receiving care in non-ACO settings. Variation in HPV vaccine uptake attributable to providers within ACOs dwarfed variation attributable to ACOs, indicating that vaccine uptake was more dependent on the provider irrespective of the ACO with which they were affiliated. Efforts to improve HPV vaccination rates may require provider-focused interventions regardless of the overall performance of their health care system orproviderorganization.

Determinants of crop insurance participation of farming households in Mekong River Delta, Vietnam in climate change context

Abstract Agricultural insurance has been implemented in many countries around the world to reduce risks for farming households. In Vietnam, agriculture is the most important industry but is heavily affected by natural disasters and climate change. This study aimed at assessing farmers’ awareness of climate change and analyzing factors affecting agricultural insurance participation of farmers in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. The research applied utility theory to build empirical model. We collected primary data from a survey of 400 farming households in Tra Vinh province. Households were selected stratifiedly in 4 coastal districts and then drawn randomly from household lists of communes. The research results showed that the majority of people were aware of climate change trends locally and its impacts on agricultural production. Logit regression model indicated that there were 8 main factors affecting household’s participation in crop insurance including age, gender, farming experience, education level, access to insurance information, civic organization membership, fund borrowing and household size, of which access to insurance information had strongest impact. The study proposed some specific management implications including (i) raising farmer awareness about agricultural insurance through official information channels such as television, radio, as well as informal information through social networks; (ii) strengthen the role of local civic organizations, especially extension services in disseminating information and supporting insurance purchasing activities for farmer households and; (iii) support farmers in part with insurance fees or allow access to small credit from State programs to enhance the participation of agricultural insurance.

Socioeconomic characteristics of organic poultry farmers in Afikpo north local government area

The study was conducted to determine the socio- economic of organic poultry farmers in Afikpo North Local Government Area, Ebonyi State. Data collected using structured questionnaire from 80 randomly selected farmers were analyzed using descriptive statistical tools: mean, frequency, percentage and Standard deviation. The result showed that majority (55.00%) of the farmers were female, (56.25%) were married, tertiary education (47.50%). The mean household size was 5 persons, membership of social organization (68.75%). It further revealed that over seventy percent of the farmers (73.75%) had up to 1-10 years farming experience. The study concluded that despite the wide attention received by organic broiler production in Afikpo, it has been constrained by some factors like lack of proper awareness,technical knowhow and preference of old practice to new practice. It is recommended that research institutes should organize extensive and periodic trainings for the farmers within Afikpo North Local government area to teach them the use of the organic recipes on poultry meat and egg production.Also enlightenment campaign should be initiated to sensitize farmers on the benefits of the use of organic recipes on broiler production.

Group Consciousness, Organizational Membership, and District Choice: Evidence from the Afro-Colombian Reserved Seats

AbstractNumerous countries around the globe have undertaken efforts aimed at enhancing political representation. One of these efforts has taken the institutional form of reserved seats or ethnic districts where individuals must choose where to deposit their votes. In this paper, we ask if group consciousness and organizational membership affect the choice to vote on these types of districts. Using a mixed-methods approach by combining semi-structured interviews with elites and a subgroup analysis of a conjoint experiment in a sample of Afro-Colombians, we find evidence that group consciousness affects the preferences for ethnic districts over territorial ones. Contrary to initial expectations, we observe that membership in ethnic organizations does not significantly alter preferences for ethnic districts among surveyed individuals. These findings indicate that individuals with high levels of group consciousness tend to choose to participate more in mechanisms and institutions that can enhance the group’s political representation.

Analysis of the factors influencing local employment in the mining sector in the Benishangul-Gumuz Regional state of Ethiopia

This article aims to analyze the factors that determine local employment in the mining sector and identify ways to improve the annual income of employed households in the Benishangul-Gumuz Regional State (BGR) of Ethiopia. The research design used for this study was cross-sectional. Quantitative data were collected from a sample of 162 households affected by mining operations, using systematic random sampling. Additionally, four focus group discussions (FGD) and eight key informant interviews (KII) were conducted to gather qualitative data. The quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and the Heckman two-stage model, while the qualitative data was analyzed using narrative analysis. The descriptive results indicate that most of the jobs created by the mining industries were temporary, and the small-scale mining sector employed more workers than the large-scale sector. Furthermore, migrant laborers benefited more from employment opportunities than indigenous households. The first result of the Heckman two-stage model reveals that the educational level of the household head, the size of the farmland, and membership in a farmer's organization have significant negative effects on local employment. On the other hand, the sex of the household head, the size of the nearest mining project, access to information, access to transport, and access to credit have significant positive effects on local employment. The second-stage results of the Heckman two-stage model show that the age of the household head, the dependency ratio, and membership in farmers' organizations have statistically significant negative effects on the annual income of employed households. Conversely, non-farm activities have statistically significant positive effects on the annual income of employed households. The findings of this study have implications for identifying the determinants and factors that need to be addressed to promote local employment. We suggest that both the Ethiopian and BGR regional governments should work towards increasing local employment opportunities for indigenous communities in the mining sector.

The impact of professional networking and burnout on the organizational and professional commitment of human resources professionals

Abstract Research on burnout has not focused much attention on human resource (HR) professionals, who are often the link between managers and employees. HR professionals have become more integral in organizations’ strategies, processes and protocols. Burnout and lack of both professional and organizational commitment from this group of employees could be detrimental to organizations. This study examines the effects of professional networking and burnout on the organizational and professional commitment of HR professionals, as well as the potential moderating relationship of professional networking on the relationships between job burnout and organizational and professional commitment through professional networking channels such as LinkedIn forums, professional memberships in organizations like the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), or other HR support work groups. A positivist approach using Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) was utilized to examine these relationships, and burnout was significantly and negatively related to both professional and organizational commitment. Further, professional networking had a significant positive influence on the relationship between burnout and commitment, meaning that burnout had a less negative impact on commitment when networking was higher. The results provide insight into factors that assist HR professionals in lessening the effects of burnout, while also increasing organizational and professional commitment.

Factors Influencing Agricultural Land Management Practices in Misamis Occidental, Philippines

Gaining insights into prevailing land management practices and discerning the factors influencing their adoption is important since it can help pinpoint areas that require enhancement and help formulate targeted strategies to optimize existing agriculture support services in the province. This paper aims to identify the determinants that can influence the implementation of different land management practices among the farmers in Misamis Occidental, Philippines. Descriptive statistics were employed to describe the socio-demographic and farm characteristics of the farmers, while a logistic regression model was used to determine correlations between these characteristics and the adoption of different management practices. Results of the analysis indicate that farmer’s age, monthly income, family size, farm ownership, farm size, farm age, education, and association membership can influence the implementation of different practices in various ways. Since farm age (p=0.03) and organization membership (p=0.01) emerged as significant influencing factors, it is recommended to strengthen and support these organizations so more new farm owners can be engaged to participate in land conservation efforts within Misamis Occidental watershed

Саморегулівні організації: юридичні особи на межі приватного і публічного права

The article analyses the legal status of self-regulatory organisations (SROs). These organisations are formed among the actors of various types of professional and business activity (lawyers, doctors, auditors, accountants, etc.), but the notion ‘self-regulatory organization’ has started to be used in legislation only recently. The main function of these organisations is to carry out self-regulation, i.e. to regulate the activity of their own members by adopting rules of conduct and monitoring compliance with them. However, these organisations often acquire regulatory powers not only from their members, who voluntarily agree to be subject to their regulation, but also from the state, which delegates to them or recognizes their public regulatory powers. This creates a kind of paradox: on the one hand, SROs are established in a manner typical of private law entities. However, on the other hand, their activities acquire the features of administrative activity. This raises a number of issues in law enforcement practice. Firstly, there are difficulties with the type of legal regulation that should be applied to the activities of these organisations - general permissive or special permissive. Secondly, the issue of court jurisdiction is ambiguous as well, i.e. which courts (administrative or commercial) have competence to resolve disputes arising between self-regulatory organisations and their members. Thirdly, the issue of compulsory membership in self-regulatory organisations is also quite acute, as this may lead to a violation of the right to freedom of association. Finally, the question of whether SROs are liable in the event of damage caused by them when exercising public authority is also ambiguous. There is a question concerning the conditions of their liability: shoud these be general conditions (Articles 1166-1167 of the Civil Code of Ukraine) or special conditions according to the rule of ‘truncated’ composition, which is typical for the liability of public authorities (Article 1173 of the Civil Code of Ukraine). This article provides a detailed analysis of these and other issues and outlines the ways to resolve them