Perceptions Of Different Stakeholders Research Articles

Importance of integrated reporting from the perspective of stakeholders in India

Integrated reporting (IR) is hailed as a milestone in the development of corporate reporting. However, it is essential to contemplate whether stakeholders perceive IR to be imperative in their decisions. This paper aimed to assess the stakeholders' perceptions regarding the importance of IR in their decision making. The research was a cross-sectional quantitative study. Data were collected using structured questionnaires, and the Kruskal Wallis H test was used to test the hypothesis constructed to find whether any significant difference exists between the perceptions of different stakeholders. The study confirmed that all stakeholders perceive that information disclosed in IR is crucial for them in their decision making as no significant difference exists between their perceptions. Further, considering the Indian economic environment, the study's findings suggested some critical aspects that all companies should consider while disclosing their information through IR, which will benefit both companies and their stakeholders.

Reconnoitering the Impact of Education on Observance of Purdah (Veil)

The study was designed to explore perceptions of different stakeholders regarding the impact of education on the observance of Purdah in the wake of modernization. To examine the phenomena, the Survey methodology was used for investigation. The quantitative data was obtained through a five-point Likert scale questionnaire from different sampled groups i.e. intellectuals, lawyers, politicians, community leaders, and literary persons. The data was analyzed through univariate, bivariate, and multivariate analyses. The association between independent and dependent variables was measured through Chi-square (χ2) whereas multivariate analysis was employed while controlling marital status. The overall findings signposted a non-significant and positive relationship between increased schooling breaks down traditional values and norms, including family values and change in observance of Purdah. On another hand, a significant and positive relationship was identified between education as one of the important indicators of modernization in Pakhtun society and the dependent variable. Similarly, the relationship between modernization leads to the emergence of different types of education systems in Pakistan, and the observance of Purdah was noticed as significant and positive. The overall test statistics of the multivariate analysis revealed a highly significant, positive, and non-spurious relationship.

Student, parent, and teacher perceptions towards digital educational games: How they differ and influence each other

Digital game-based learning has received increased attention in education. As the key stakeholders in education, students, parents, and teachers may have different perceptions and attitudes towards game-based learning, which have a great impact on its adoption and dissemination. However, there is a lack of research examining how the perceptions of different stakeholders towards digital educational games may differ and influence each other. This study aimed to address the gap by investigating the perceptions of students, parents and teachers towards digital educational games, the differences and relationships between their perceptions, and possible sources of their perceptions. The study was conducted with 415 participants in China, a country that has tension between play and learning in its traditional values. The results reveal that most students, parents and teachers have certain experience playing mobile games, but with limited knowledge about educational digital games. Students have more positive perceptions towards digital educational games than teachers and parents, and the perceptions of teachers and parents are correlated with each other. After an introduction to an educational digital game, students’ and parents’ intention to recommend game-based learning increased, which, however, was not the case for teachers. Implications of the findings were discussed.

Stakeholder perceptions in flood risk assessment: A hybrid fuzzy AHP-TOPSIS approach for Istanbul, Turkey

As an initial exploration, preliminary studies which are conducted for the identification of key points to be addressed in flood risk management (FRM) processes are crucial to mitigate potential impacts of floods. Generating the flood risk maps with the participation of diverse stakeholders at each level of administration is essential to develop effective FRM strategies. Hence, the objectives of this study are twofold: i) to produce district-based vulnerability, hazard, and flood risk maps for Istanbul with a hybrid fuzzy AHP-TOPSIS model, ii) to generate these maps by considering the perceptions of different stakeholders separately, which is an initial attempt in the literature, ensuring the comparative analysis of stakeholder perceptions in FRM. Local and metropolitan municipalities, disaster management and coordination centres, water and sewerage administrations, and universities were considered as the leading stakeholders since they are chiefly responsible decision-making bodies in FRM practices in Istanbul. Pearson's correlation coefficient and Spearman's rank correlation coefficient tests were used to obtain a more accurate understanding of the agreement levels between stakeholders. The results revealed the need for the involvement of various stakeholders to generate flood risk maps since significantly different perspectives were observed; and the need for changing the generated flood risk maps. The findings of this study are critical because generated maps show distinct differences according to the mentality of the organizations and experts, which inevitably change the most flood-prone areas and possible mitigation investments.

Stakeholders’ perception of the sustainability of a tourism destination: a methodological framework to find out relationships and similarity of opinions

Percepción de los grupos de interés acerca de la sostenibilidad de un destino turístico: una propuesta metodológica para encontrar relaciones y similitudes de opinionesObjetivoEste estudio tiene como objetivo examinar la similitud de opiniones en relación a la percepción de los grupos de interés acerca de la importancia de los diferentes aspectos considerados a la hora de medir la sostenibilidad de un destino turístico (mediante la asignación de ponderaciones a un sistema de indicadores previamente establecido). Además, se valida el uso del análisis de redes sociales de los actores como herramienta para comprender las diferentes percepciones.HallazgosUtilizando el análisis de redes sociales, el estudio concluye que, aunque un gran número de grupos de interés se comunican con bastante frecuencia para llevar a cabo sus actividades y creen que comparten en gran medida sus puntos de vista sobre la sostenibilidad, existen importantes diversidades de opinión. Además, se constata que el indicador de poder y la medida de grado de similitud propuestos son herramientas útiles para estudiar las similitudes de opiniones entre los actores.Diseño / metodología / enfoqueEn este artículo se utiliza una combinación de técnicas. Los actores se han identificado mediante la técnica de bola de nieve. Un análisis de redes sociales examina las relaciones. Se propone una medida de poder basada en teorías de dependencia de recursos. Se analiza si puede haber diferencias como resultado de las diferentes percepciones entre los grupos de interés individuales en el contexto de la medición de la sostenibilidad, utilizando un grado de similitud de opiniones basado en la distancia euclidiana.Implicaciones prácticasÉste es un enfoque aplicado a las condiciones de gobernanza de la sostenibilidad de un destino turístico, al potenciar los procesos democráticos para medirla y al brindar orientaciones para mejorarla, logrando un consenso sobre sus políticas. Se analiza las similitudes y diferencias entre las percepciones de diferentes grupos de interés, que podrían ser consideradas en los procesos de toma de decisiones sobre la sostenibilidad.Originalidad / valorNingún estudio previo ha identificado y analizado la red de grupos de interés desde las perspectivas de medición de la sostenibilidad de un destino turístico, y el grado de similitud de sus opiniones.

The stakeholders' perspective on the factors contributing to construction disputes

PurposeWhile a considerable amount of research has been conducted on construction disputes, disputes remain prevalent in the construction industry and have still been a crucial problem in the Turkish construction industry as well. The purpose of this paper is to explore the perceptions of different stakeholders on key factors that contribute to construction disputes by adopting a qualitative approach.Design/methodology/approachThe qualitative approach adopted for the study provided gathering in-depth and rich information about the topic. To explore the phenomenon in-depth information, semi-structured interviews were conducted. A total of 38 interviews were conducted among experts and practitioners who engaged in construction disputes.FindingsContent analysis of interview data resulted in the emergence of varying categories relevant to the problems which result in construction disputes. By grouping related themes into main categories, the analysis yielded five major ones: clarity of the contract form, errors in contract documents, payments, changes, delays and not granting extension of time.Research limitations/implicationsThe major limitations are having interviewees from one country and results limited to the Turkish construction industry.Practical implicationsThe findings provide insight on the factors contributing to construction disputes as perceived by different stakeholders, which should provide guidance to determine the associated risks for dispute occurrence, make effort to mitigate disputes once they happen, take proper precautions for minimizing the effects and after all make a significant contribution in the successful accomplishment of completed construction projects.Originality/valueThe findings of the study contribute to a deeper understanding of the factors contributing to construction disputes through a qualitative approach which is limited in the related literature. Although the qualitative exploration only focuses on the Turkish construction industry, the study has added significantly to the body of knowledge within the subject area.

English

Traditional medicine (TM) is an important source of care for most poor people. Aware of this role, most African countries have developed national policies to give legal status to TM and its practitioners. Currently, at least 30,000 people practice TM in Burkina Faso. However, few, particularly women, have licenses to practice TM. This paper presents the results of a pilot project that aimed at accompanying the traditional women healers from Sanmatenga province in obtaining licenses. The application for TM practice includes personal attested documents and ethnomedical evidence or proof of efficacy of the traditional product. To assess the ethnomedical evidence, the traditional healer is monitored by a nurse over a four-month period during which the nurse follows patients receiving the traditional treatment. The nurse investigates the work of the traditional healer and its final report includes its opinion on the traditional healer and the number of patients followed, cured or lost after treatment with the traditional product. Perceptions of different stakeholders regarding the intervention were obtained through unstructured interviews. 60 traditional women healers were selected from three health districts of the province of Sanmatenga. They were followed by 10 nurses. Currently, about 37% of traditional women healers are licensed. Findings showed that the different stakeholders welcomed the intervention and made recommendations to strengthen this relationship. Thus, strengthening the capacities of traditional healers as well as the collaboration with conventional medicine practitioners contribute to build stronger healthcare systems.   Key words: Traditional medicine, traditional women healer, conventional medicine, license, ethnomedical evidence, healthcare system.

Identifying goals, roles and tasks of extended scope physiotherapy in Dutch primary care- an exploratory, qualitative multi-step study

BackgroundRising healthcare costs, an increasing general practitioner shortage and an aging population have made healthcare organization transformation a priority. To meet these challenges, traditional roles of non-medical members have been reconsidered. Within the domain of physiotherapy, there has been significant interest in Extended Scope Physiotherapy (ESP). Although studies have focused on the perceptions of different stakeholders in relation to ESP, there is a large variety in the interpretation of ESP. Aim: To identify a paradigm of ESP incorporating goals, roles and tasks, to provide a consistent approach for the implementation of ESP in primary care.MethodsAn exploratory, qualitative multi-step design was used containing a scoping review, focus groups and semi-structured interviews. The study population consisted of patients, physiotherapists, general practitioners and indirect stakeholders such as lecturers, health insurers and policymakers related to primary care physiotherapy. The main topics discussed in the focus groups and semi-structured interviews were the goals, skills and roles affiliated with ESP. The ‘framework’ method, developed by Ritchie & Spencer, was used as analytical approach to refine the framework.ResultsTwo focus groups and twelve semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore stakeholder perspectives on ESP in Dutch primary care. A total of 11 physiotherapists, six general practitioners, five patients and four indirect stakeholders participated in the study. There was a lot of support for ‘decreasing healthcare costs’, ‘tackling increased health demand’ and ‘improving healthcare effectiveness’ as main goals of ESP. The most agreement was reached on ‘triaging’, ‘referring to specialists’ and ‘ordering diagnostic imaging’ as tasks fitting for ESP. Most stakeholders also supported ‘working in a multidisciplinary team’, ‘working as a consultant’ and ‘an ESP role separated from a physiotherapist role’ as roles of ESP.ConclusionsBased on the scoping review, focus groups and interviews with direct and indirect stakeholders, it appears that there is sufficient support for ESP in the Netherlands. This study provides a clear presentation of how ESP can be conceptualized in primary care. A pilot focused on determining the feasibility of ESP in Dutch primary care will be the next step.

A Study on the Barriers faced by Women Farmers in Accessing Agricultural Insurance in India & Policy Recommendations

A woman’s ownership in farming is ordinarily guided by either the absence of a male lead member in the family due to death, disease or migration, or endemic social norms and practices governing her interaction pattern. Women farmers often end up being in a vicious cycle of low investment, low access to institutional credit and insurance, low return, low expansion, and growth. The paper is conceptualized to understand ways to enhance women’s participation in the present crop insurance scheme (Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana) by analyzing the possible barriers faced by women farmers in accessing the scheme in the states of Odisha and Maharashtra. Prior to engaging with the current PMFBY scheme, an analysis of previous schemes was done to understand the rationale behind their conceptualization, their limitations, and the improvement that PMFBY proposes. Unfortunately, the increasing women participation in the agricultural sector has not translated to women empowerment as feminization has its roots in unprofitable crop production and patriarchal social norms, causing women to take a back seat in engaging with the scheme despite being the primary beneficiaries. The study thus tries to interlink the policy’s intent for inclusion, operational procedures, and social perceptions of different stakeholders across the scheme lifecycle to assess the root causes of women’s participation or lack thereof, in the crop insurance scheme.

Environmental Challenges and Developmental Requirements in Mountains During 21st Century

Mountains are unique resource-rich ecosystems characterized by diverse environments owing to their topography, climatic variability and harboring a rich biodiversity. However, the global pace of development has not left these regions untouched posing serious environmental challenges endangering their resourcefulness. In spite of the 'environment friendly' or ‘environmentally sound' concept of development, generally the development is perceived as antagonistic to the health of the environment that of course can be visualized in many cases. Lack of location specific appropriate technology as tool for development in tune with the environmental concerns compounds the problem. There are differences in the perceptions and reality with respect to mountains. The mountain people consider disparity in the pace of development between hills and plains, urban and rural areas within the mountains and more developed and less developed hill villages leading to feel of alienation. A holistic approach of environmentally sound development is difficult to achieve due to differences in the perceptions of different stakeholders with respect to their motives at individual and society level. True change is possible only when it begins in persons who advocate the change. Thus a complete shift in the behaviour, attitude, perception and practices with the element of philosophy is needed to set tone for the environment-development synergy.

Autonomy, accountability, and competition: The privatisation of the Saudi health care system

ObjectivesThis study aims to explore the perceptions of different stakeholders about the privatisation of the Saudi health care system. MethodsUsing a qualitative case study design, we interviewed 21 administrators and clinical staff of a public hospital in the Eastern Province of the KSA and analysed all official documents relevant to this study. The analysis followed a thematic approach to provide an in-depth interpretation of the data. ResultsOur analysis generated three main themes. The first was pertinent to the changes in the governance structure, with gradually increased autonomy from the government. The second reflected the necessity to introduce accountability within hospitals. The third described the cooperative relationship among the E1-Cluster hospitals as well as its competitive relationship with the private sector. ConclusionOur study demonstrates the interplay between newly introduced concepts of autonomy and accountability within the Saudi health care system. The findings of this study and their implications for research, practice, and policy are elaborated. Such an understanding is essential to improve the implementation process of privatisation and to recognise new dynamics that are shaping the health care system. The study contributes to the current scarce literature on health care reforms in KSA by reporting perceptions and experiences of key stakeholders.

Classroom Behaviour Management: Increase Student Engagement and Promoting Positive Behaviour

Student behaviour and engagement in school is crucial for effective learning. The classroom management approaches are usually categorised into two main groups- reactive and proactive. This article examines classroom behaviour management through the lens of reactive and proactive management strategies. It reports on the perceptions of different stakeholders regarding low-level disengaged behaviour in the classroom. Also, evaluate some of the strategies teachers employ for managing student behaviour and effectiveness of those strategies. Antecedent behaviour management strategies have been an effective tool for managing disengaged behaviour. Despite the positive outcomes of antecedent approaches research showed educators employed these strategies occasionally.

The bottom-up approach is teetering. When sustainability does not match public participation: The case of an urban re-greening project in a small town in Northern Italy

Local sustainable development projects can be fostered by public participation involving citizens and local organizations as stakeholders. On one hand multi-stakeholder approaches can increase acceptability of a project guaranteeing long term benefits to local society. On the other hand, diverging interests and percep-tions of different stakeholders (involved or not) can hinder implementation of sus-tainability projects. This paper analyzes a real case study of an innovative sus-tainability project in Northern Italy which fail in its participatory purposes. The project "Cantieri Rinverditi" has been a Re-Greening Vacant Urban Space project developed in San Rocco al Porto a small town in the Po valley in Lombardy, which is the highest region for soil loss due to urbanization in Italy. Through a qualitative analysis based on semi-structured interviews and participant observation I high-light the main difficulties and barriers which caused the lack of local citizens' par-ticipation to the project.

Perceptions of Adolescents, Teachers and Parents of Life Skills Education and Life Skills in High School Students in Hong Kong

Although theories and research emphasize the importance of adolescent life skills, different stakeholders’ perceptions of the related issues have not been systematically investigated, particularly in Chinese contexts. This paper presents and integrates findings from four studies examining perceptions of different stakeholders on the need for and adequacy of life skills education and perceived adolescent life skills in Hong Kong. Data from four studies were used, including a longitudinal study with senior high school students (N = 3328+) and three cross-sectional studies based on students (N = 2474), teachers (N = 568) and parents (N = 431). Participants responded to measures on their perceptions of the need for life skills education and adequacy of related education in the formal curriculum. They also rated adolescent life skills in different domains, including emotional competence, moral competence, resilience, problem-solving, life meaning, gratefulness, social competence, and integrity. Consistent across the four studies, while many stakeholders regarded life skills as important for adolescents, a majority of them also perceived life skills education as insufficient in the school curriculum. There were also views suggesting that adolescent life skills development was incomplete. Compared with teachers and parents, adolescents perceived higher levels of life skills in themselves and adolescents in Hong Kong. There is a strong perceived need to step up life skills education in adolescents, particularly in Hong Kong.

Integrating Stakeholders’ Perceptions into Decision-Making for Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management

Ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM) is a more holistic alternative to single-species management. Currently, all eight regional Fishery Management Councils in the U.S. are carrying out EBFM planning or implementation. However, uncertainty exists on what principles and strategies are most effective to implement EBFM. In this study, council members in the New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Councils were interviewed on their perceptions of EBFM and aspects related to its implementation. Results of these interviews were used to develop a survey to assess fishers’ opinions and investigate their levels of acceptance of concepts prioritized by council members. While in general, council members emphasized considerations of the ecosystem as characterizing EBFM, fishers focused on aspects of social impacts and fishers’ participation in decision making. Results of this study provide important information about the perceptions of different stakeholders on the implementation of EBFM in the Northeast U.S and can be used to guide EBFM implementation and facilitate communication between stakeholders by elucidating on priorities and areas of convergence and divergence of ideas. This research also tested a two-step approach to integrate multiple stakeholder input to assess and evaluate knowledge to inform EBFM decisions that are adaptive and context specific.

Water Pollution Policy Vis-À-Vis Red Category Industries: A Case Study

According to the Constitution of India, the water right comes under Article 21 as Right to Life. Having water as a basic need in life, it has to be protected well by enforcing the law in an orderly manner with more stringent actions towards water polluting agents. Even though several laws exist on controlling water pollution, the punitive measures are not strong enough to control, especially in the case of industrial pollution. The purpose of this study is to find out the lacunae existing in Indian legal provisions on the view of water polluting industries. A case study is undertaken by selecting a red category industry located at Cuddalore, particularly in SIPCOT institutional area. To value the awareness and perceptions of different stakeholders on Water Pollution Policies, semi-structured interviews were conducted with the AGM of the industry and the NGOs and questionnaires survey were administered with the students and public. It was known that the 51% of people were affected by water pollution and 83.33% of people opt for plastic containers of 20-liter capacity for drinking and supplied by SIPCOT. Sadly, 100% of people recorded their responses saying industries were the prime source of water pollution. While question airing on health aspect, it was found that 85% people were affected by skin diseases and respiratory illnesses. The forte of the NGOs and the students were the involvement of all related stakeholders in granting permission at the initial stage of industrial establishment at any place is mandatory. Keeping that every solution is unique with regard to every problem; a proactive step of introducing a rationalist model specifically to tackle these kinds of uncertain conditions with respect to Government protocols on Water Pollution Laws towards red category industry was made. Based on the situational model, proposals of the establishment of the industries could be granted.

Examining the key stakeholders’ perceptions of student learning: towards a paradigm shift in secondary education in Hong Kong

ABSTRACTThe current New Senior Secondary curriculum was implemented in Hong Kong in 2009. This educational reform promotes a paradigm shift in learning and teaching strategies, with the ultimate goal to prepare secondary school students for meeting the changing needs of the workplace and for lifelong learning. This paper reports empirical findings by investigating the impact of such a paradigm shift in education on student learning through comparing the perceptions of different stakeholders (i.e., school heads, teachers and students). The data were collected from a self-reported questionnaire, involving 91 secondary schools, 1,439 school heads, Key Learning Areas coordinators/panels heads, Secondary 6 teachers, and 4614 Secondary 6 students. Key findings are: (1) seven dimensions of student learning were identified (in terms of generic skills, personal growth and well-being, values and attitudes) and these are regarded as the important paradigm shift in the secondary education curriculum; (2) school heads were more optimistic than Key Learning Areas coordinators/panel heads and frontline teachers about the performance of Secondary 6 students; and (3) Secondary 6 students had a more positive outlook than their teachers regarding world views, pluralistic views, communication skills, critical thinking and creativity. Implications and recommendations are discussed.

Stakeholders Perception of Tourism Entrepreneurship: A Case Study of The Valley of Kashmir

Tourism entrepreneurship has been known as the finest perspective to accredit the socio-economic progress of tourism destinations in various countries. Kashmir Valley is in its growth phase of tourism development and tourism entrepreneurship of different stakeholders is still under studied in the study area. By looking at diverse business activities that could be spawned by the development, their connection in business would contribute to a better economic return. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the perception of tourism entrepreneurship of different stakeholders in Valley of Kashmir. Based on self-administered questionnaire conducted on 312 prime stakeholders of tourism industry of Kashmir Valley in Jammu and Kashmir, the finding indicates that there is a significance difference between expectation and perception of different stakeholders regarding tourism entrepreneurship. Some of the stakeholders are previously involved in entrepreneurship activities; however their business survivability should be an apprehension as they countenance inadequate financial sources and support. The findings of the paper provide suitable conclusion on the needs to put into action various entrepreneurship related issues in Kashmir Valley. Valley of Kashmir possess exhilarative geographic and topographic features which espouse to magnetize all kinds of visitors in every season, such as pilgrimage, cultural, adventure, sport, educational and research, wonder lust and heritage tourism. Kashmir region is known for unique scenic attractions popularly known as “Paradise on Earth”. Having declared as one of the most beautiful regions of the world, this paper reveals the groundwork result on the need for a deeper assessment on stakeholders’ perception of tourism entrepreneurship in Valley of Kashmir.

A perceção dos stakeholders sobre o desenvolvimento turístico - o caso da ilha de São Miguel, Açores

Tourism in the Autonomous Region of the Azores, and especially in the island of Sao Miguel, has suffered in recent years a significant increase with repercussions on economic, socio-cultural and environmental impacts. Strategic planning of the activity becomes even more challenging in small island territories. In this context, the present study aims to know the perceptions of different stakeholders about the impacts of tourism development; the identification of the main drivers of the competitiveness of the destination; and the characterization of the level of involvement and participation of local stakeholders in the planning process. Methodologically, we chose semi-directive interviews and content analysis from a sample of stakeholders from the island of S. Miguel. The results show that the positive economic impacts are the most noticeable, as one would expect in a destination in the growth phase, and a level of public participation still scarce.

Human Capital Disclosure by the Listed Non-Financial Companies of Bangladesh

Success of an enterprise very much depends on the composition of human capital of the entity. It is now established that human capital is important for the business organization and it may be disclosed in the annual report of the companies. The specific objectives of the paper are to examine the present status of HC disclosure in corporate annual report of the listed non-financial companies in Bangladesh and to summarize the perceptions of different stakeholders regarding this aspect. Contents analysis has been conducted on annual reports for the year 2008 and 2011 of 82 listed companies in Bangladesh. Perception survey has been conducted on 195 respondents for collecting primary data using five-level Likert scale. Results show that the average disclosure score is below 50 percent and over periods the status is not improving significantly. More than 50 percent companies have achieved less than 40 percent score and there is a large variation in score among the companies’ scores. As disclosure of HC items is a need of the stakeholders, companies should be careful about the matter and concern regulators may take initiative to improve the disclosure status of the companies.