Capacity building of sea level and climate monitoring in the Pacific region： Fiji case study

In order to enhance capacity building in the Pacific region, and to raise awareness on climate change and sea level issues, teaching and training modules were made available to the Pacific community through the ＂South pacific sea level and climate monitoring project＂ funded by AusAID. Numerous training workshops have been conducted through the project since its inception in 1991 and the project is now in its fourth and final phase. It was hoped that the goals of capacity building for the stakeholders on correct information of climate change and sea level have been understood and taken heed of. In addition, ＂The scientific educational resources and experience associated with the deployment of Argo＂ （SEREAD） project was also set up especially for ocean science in the Pacific island schools in 2001. However, it has been realized that the data from this project is more relevant to tertiary level rather than to secondary level students. Consequently, a survey was carried out to gauge the students＇ outlook towards the physical side of marine science. The survey revealed that more than 80% of both tertiary level and high school non-physical science students decided not to take the physical aspect of marine science sighting reasons that it is either a difficult subject, boring, too hard to understand or difficult to pass in the examination. Even amongst students taking physical science, only about 50% believe that the physical aspect of marine science is enjoyable. A minority of students at USP and high school take science as a subject and a small proportion from them take the physical science. From this scenario, it can be predicted that there will be a shortage of physical science graduates in the future. The confidence of the Pacific community in the work of scientists is built on faith. They appreciate the effect of science on their lives and support it but are unaware of the scientific methods involved. Therefore, for the sustainability of physical aspect of marine science in the future for the Pacific region, public awareness of climate change and sea level is vitally important and it should be widely promoted in the community as a matter of urgency.     

Infant and child mortality in Sudan： Case of central region

This paper uses households＇ data from central region of Sudan to examine factors that affect infant and child mortality. The education of mother and father, community variables and household income per adult are used. For this purpose, a household survey was conducted to collect data on the variables of interest from a random sample withdrawn from the study population. 600 questionnaires were distributed to households in one province of the region （out of five） where there are seven localities. The data has been analyzed using different statistical and econometric methods, including ordinary least squares method. The ordinary least squares found that child mortality is inversely associated with household income per adult, community variables and parental education. The effect of mother＇s education is more significant than father＇s education, mother＇s age is also found to be the most important factor that influences child mortality.     

A physical therapy environment design concept for children with cerebral palsy in accordance with patient behavior and therapy effectiveness

This research aims to study the effects of interior environmental features on the effectiveness of physical therapy among children with cerebral palsy. The research assumes that interior environment primarily determines the central attention of the patients, which further institutes the level of cooperation and thus the effectiveness of therapy. Distinctive interior settings in three state hospitals are utilized to test the effects of different environmental settings on child patients＇ level of attention. A ＇~structured observation＂ together with an ＂achievement rating＂, measured by the patients＇ cooperative level, are utilized to gauge the success of therapy conducted within the three different environmental settings. Statistical result reveals a pattern of correlative linkages among the interior features, the level of central attention and the effectiveness of therapy. Behavioral responses are found to be positively correlated with the level of patient cooperation. The analysis of behavioral response discloses three types of environmental stimuli--crowding in the treatment rooms, present of particular interior features such as windows, and activities outside the treatment rooms visible to the patients. Desirable response is also found to be increasing along with the number of interior stimulus features. A design guideline for treatment room is finally established. Two groups of interior environmental features could be manipulated to elevate the effectiveness of therapy--the physical environment which includes room size, and the spatial location of therapy activities within the interior environment.     

Adaptability of Kuwaiti Public Administration Employees to Total Quality Management Requirements

This exploratory study examines the infrastructure of total quality management （TQM） in Kuwaiti public administration. The research was based on a questionnaire administered to a random sample consisted of 600 government officials from various Kuwaiti ministries. The basic elements of TQM which were investigated relate to work relations, administrative procedures, and professionalism. The objective of the study is to improve quality of public services through diagnosing and strengthening positive points, shedding light on the negative aspects, and giving recommendations on how to enhance services＇ quality. The study results showed that public administration employees are highly adaptable to TQM requirements. Statistically significant variations were found in adaptability to TQM requirements due to gender, age, educational level, job level, and work relations with regard to many aspects. It is recommended that decision makers in Kuwaiti public administrators take some measures to enhance TQM orientation such as simplifying administrative procedures, making greater compatibility between employees and type of work, investing more resources on continuing education of public administration employees and conducting field studies concerning adaptability of other government bodies （public institutions, public companies, etc.） to TQM requirements to see similarities and differences between them and the ministries in this regard and draw appropriate lessons.     

Agencification of Public Service Delivery in Nigeria： An Empirical Study of Selected Public Agencies in Lagos State

There have been efforts to establish agencies as part of a strategy to improve service delivery world-wide. In Nigeria, agencies have also been established at both the national and state levels. The Lagos State Government has also established various agencies to fulfill different government functions in the state. After many years, the activities of these agencies have improved the delivery of services to the people in Lagos State, but there is still much to be done. This is why this study examines agencification of public service delivery in Nigeria with reference to Lagos State. The study uses mixed methods and triangulated data to achieve the research objectives. Questionnaire was used to collect data from service users and departmental officials. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with key officials of the selected agencies. Key documents were also reviewed. The findings reveal： lack of human resources capacity, inadequate financial management skills, and poor management of service providers, and the environment of the people of Lagos State are not considered in the conception and the implementation of the service-delivery-driven agencies. The study therefore recommends that agencification of public service in Lagos State as conceived if properly implemented can contribute to effective public service delivery.     

Fuel Distribution in Brazil： Profile and Stability of Plural Governances

This paper is dedicated to the study of governances adopted by fuel distributors in their transactions with gas station retailers in the State of Sgo Paulo. With the deregulation of the market, plural forms were allowed and have been a recurring presence. The main aim of the paper is to investigate why these plural forms have remained on the market The main hypothesis of this paper is that the plural forms found are transitory, not as a result of increased efficiency and reduced transaction costs, but because plural forms have become a key strategic step in securing business partners and promoting greater growth of the firm. Moreover, it is argued that the institutional environment has a significant influence on the coordination of plural forms, directly interfering with their stability. The research method was qualitative research with a group of 25 distribution companies which account for about 80% of sales of ethanol and gasoline in the domestic market.     

An analysis of e-government in the Department of Home Affairs of South Africa

The new information and communication technologies （ICTs） are radically redefining the world＇s social, economic and political landscape. People live in the information age and their environment and needs are changed by the development of ICTs. The Republic of South Africa as a democratic country also faces the challenge in the information age. The Government of South Africa has embarked on a number of measures to ensure that information and communication technologies （ICTs） play a vital role in society. The Department of Home Affairs （DHA） plays a central and indispensable role within the public service, impacting on the lives of all the citizens and the people who visit South Africa. The DHA has felt the pressures emanating from South Africa＇s transition to democracy and the tremendous growth in the demand for its services. It is important for the DHA to adopt the ICTs in its services to deliver them conveniently and efficiently to citizens. The paper presents the research undertaken of the present status and application of e-government in the Department of Home Affairs in Republic of South Africa as well as the analysis of challenges the DHA faces in the quest to deliver services with ICT. Feedback obtained from clients was reviewed with the aim of offering recommendations on how the DHA can improve service delivery using ICT.     

Administrative Innovation and Culture： Pillars of the Competitive Strategies in Horticultural Companies of Sinaloa

In contemporary times, a fundamental aspect for organization has been to achieve innovation through culture and approach to encourage the search and development of new ideas, new products, and new services; this is a key point to fulfill the competitive advantages which a company needs to be successful in the global market. The Sinaloa horticultural company has more than 100 years＇ history in the United States export market, and is presenting new challenges and demands from the market in order for it to achieve its permanence. The objective of this research is to identify and propose different strategies to implement management innovation, which in its essence is the one that coordinates, directs, and controls the human resource considering culture as an integral part, with a capacity to generate the spark and function as a motivating source which drives companies to consolidate and integrate supply chains.     

A road to institutionalization： China＇s corruption and struggle for political reform

This essay is a study of China＇s political corruption and countermeasure for it. The author will focus on the cultural factors and the incompleteness of the market economy because these show us the reason why the corruption became severe after the initiation of the economic reform. The author will move on to search a solution within the field of political reform. The author will deal with the problem by two approaches. The first one is to focus on the democratization and the second one is to focus on the political institutionalization. The goal of the author＇s analysis is to examine which approach will work as a proper solution. The author＇s argument is that institutionalization will be the better one. The author will outline the grounds briefly. Firstly, unlike democratization, this solution shows possibility of realization. Secondly, political institutionalization has its own value of political development which was not considered sufficiently before. And finally there are advantages of strengthened accountability and limit discretion. To consolidate the author＇s argument the author will use Hong Kong＇s case where have been successfully controlled the problem by political institutionalization.     

Educational figures as models for empathetic communication at school： An exploratory examination of an integrative assessment model

This paper presents an exploratory examination of a methodology deliberated to quantify empathetic modeling in Israeli schools. Approximately half a dozen disciples and 3-5 teachers in each of 102 elementary and high-schools from various regions of Israel, affiliated with different educational sectors, participated in the study, which was conducted by 40 well trained interviewers. Using sophisticated algorithms, integrative scores were extracted in order to represent each school＇s pupils-teachers fit in viewing the empathetic approach by the school＇s leading educational figures. The results are conceived as indicative of the viability of the to-be-evaluated assessment method and the construct of school-empathy. Applied implications are suggested and continued research deliberated to test the hypothesis of an inverse causal connection between school-empathy, and school-violence is proposed.     

What Could Be the ＂Imaginary Institution＂ of the City？

In his book The Imaginary Institution of Society, the French philosopher Castoriadis wanted to explain the radical change of societies and their diversity; the social imaginary matters, and explains social change. But what is it today？ The Castoriadis＇s answer is mainly a criticism of the imaginary of the bureaucratic society （perfect anticipations）. He hoped more autonomy. In the paper, it is proposed this interpretation of the imaginary of the city： The main myths are personal strength, chance （here the reference is Ulrich Beck＇s book The Risk Society）, and individual happiness （the reference being the works of the French philosopher Lipovetsky）. One is able to explain the discrepancy between public policies （including city planning） and the real social needs. It exists because the doctrines used lag behind the ＂social imaginary significations＂. The concerned fields are the beauty of cities, spatial segregation, women in the city, environment, drugs, etc.     

Anonymous electronic identity in cross-border and cross-sector environment

The paper deals with identity management in cross-border and cross-sector communication in e-government. The new ALUCID （automatic, liberal and user-centric electronic identity） technology based on new principles of anonymous and automatic identity enables markedly different and simpler identity management with strong authentication support. This paper aims to compare ALUCID with PKI （public key infrastructure, a well-known identity management technology used in cross-border and cross-sector environment of e-government） from user＇s and government＇s point of view. It focuses on organizational aspects of eID issuing and verification, various interoperability issues, language issues, legislative framework variety, cultural differences and privacy protection issues related to identity use and management. The specific features of the ALUCID technology which was designed to support the specific needs of e-government in a cross-border and cross-sector environment are also described herein.     

Reviewing, Reflecting and Constructing Research on Grassroots Social Organizations in Rural China

The purpose of this paper is to review previous studies on grassroots social organizations （GSOs） in rural China and provide a new framework for future research. This article uses the method of comparative analysis to review relevant research from the perspective of different disciplines and different theories, and adopts the method of inductive reasoning to analyze and draw conclusions. Previous researches can be divided into four categories according to their disciplines, and there are three theories frequently used to explain the development of rural GSOs in China. Obviously, plenty of valuable researches have been done, but examining a certain kind of GSOs in a single discipline and analyzing the cause of the development of GSOs with an isolated theory are two issues impeding further study on rural GSOs in China. By integrating three theories, a new and comprehensive research framework of ＂interest-identity-institution＂ is presented for future research on all kinds of GSOs. To improve and enrich this frame, a lot of empirical and specific researches need to be done in the future.     

China＇s Political Stability and Comprehensive National Power： A Case Study of the Conflict in Xinjiang

The concept of comprehensive national power （CNP） is proposed and developed by several Chinese scholars and academic institutions. Many material capabilities, for example, economic growth and military might, are incorporated into the concept to measure China＇s national power vis-h-vis other major powers, especially the U.S. This paper, however, contends that understanding China＇s CNP through material capabilities is only part of the story. Yet, China＇s political stability is by no means assured and fully incorporated into the concept. China has undoubtedly faced many threats and challenges to its political stability. Apart from the Two Ts＇ problem （Taiwan and Tibet）, the conflict in Xinjiang not only threatens China＇s political stability since the establishment of the People＇s Republic of China （PRC） in 1949, but also affects its CNP as a whole. This paper concludes that measuring the genuine CNP should be based on the factors from which a country would earn or benefit, and also on those of which it would have to pay a price. Needless to say, the conflict and political instability in Xinjiang are an example of the price which China has to pay.     

The equalization pattern and process of gender educational inequality in Taiwan： Some evidence for the threshold hypothesis

The existing literature on women＇s educational attainments and gender inequality in education excludes the pattern and process of gender educational equalization. In this research, we review the relevant literature first and then set hypotheses to be tested based on the different expectations of modernization theory and the threshold hypothesis. We have access to the 1990-2001 data files of the Taiwan social change survey and the 1950-2000 data files of the Statistical abstract of national income in Taiwan to obtain the information which is used in this research. We employ the bi-variate logistic regression model to estimate the net effect of gender on the likelihood that the subject completes his or her high school education or earns a degree from a college or a university from 1950 to 2000. Our empirical results show that, when compared with the educational attainments of men, the women＇s relative disadvantage in terms of educational attainment diminishes with economic development, but the extent of such a decline varies with the different levels of economic development and stages of educational expansion. This indicates that the equalization pattern of gender inequality in education is not linear, but rather ladder-like, and is consistent with the assumption of the threshold hypothesis. Furthermore, the equalization process of gender educational inequality differs according to socio-economic backgrounds. A boy with an upper class background is more likely to complete his high school education or obtain a degree from a college or a university than a girl with an upper class background, followed by a lower class male, and a lower class female, respectively.     

Searching for sustainable competitive advantage --From tangibles to intangibles

The purpose of this paper is to emphasize on the growing importance of the intangible assets for a firm＇s sustainable competitive advantage--by considering both the features that a strategic asset must meet and the high potential of the intangible assets to fulfill those features. First, we outline the changing environment finns are operating in--at global and industry＇s level as well; second, we emphasize on the evolving theory of the resource-based view of the firm--as the main framework integrating all the assets of a firm and its relationships with the environment; third, we underline the need for organizational and managerial change and development by making the shift from tangibles to intangibles. We find that the theory in the field evolved within last years, but the conceptual framework is far from being exhaustive and unitary. The paper may be continued with the developing of a conceptual framework which is able to identify the specific intangible assets that may become strategic, their determinants, the interconnections between them, and their integration into successful competitive strategies. The practical implications of the paper consist in offering some guidelines for firms in the search of global competitiveness through the valorization of there intangible assets. The paper emphasizes that, in order to achieve sustainable competitive advantage, strategic management must develop a comprehensive, dynamic and innovative resource-based model--unique for each firm.     

The ban on virginity testing

The world is characterised by the conflict existing between human rights and customary practices. Customary laws and practices appear to be in major and difficult conflict to harmonise. It differs from country to country as to one must be applied when the two are in conflict or contrary to each other. Virginity testing is one of the practices which grabs a lot of attention in conflicting with human rights from country to country. The harmonization of customary laws and human rights is not given the attention it seeks by authors around the world.     

Comparative Analysis of Unemployment in Austria,Greece and Serbia During the Crisis

The aim of the paper is to understand the impact of world financial crisis on unemployment rate. In spite of that, Austria＇s and Greece＇s unemployment trends have been analyzed and compared in periods before and during the present world financial crisis and their relation has been used in order to understand ways of employment improvement in Serbia. In the period of 1998-2006, unemployment rate in Greece was 2.5 times higher than in Austria. The highest range difference was in 1999--8.01%, while the lowest was in 2006--4.15%. During the period of the crisis, unemployment rate in Greece has been nearly six times higher than in Austria. The gap between these countries is getting wider over the years. At the beginning of the financial crisis, the difference between percentage of unemployed citizens in Austria and Greece was at the lowest level--3.86%. Then from 2008, unemployment rate in Greece has been increasing rapidly and finally exploded during the observed year. It has rapid growth that peaked 26% in September 2012, which is more than 2.5 times higher than the average unemployment rate in the EU. Youth unemployment also increased markedly in Greece, where 56.4% young adults looking for a job cannot find one. On the other side, Austria＇s labour market performs very well, which is reflected in one of the lowest unemployment rates in the EU. In Serbia, situation is much worse than the mentioned countries above and it could not be concluded that it is just caused by the crisis. Unemployment in Serbia has deeper roots. Periods of wars, economic sanctions, and hyperinflation, as well as the transition process from the centrally planned to the market economy caused great number of jobs to be lost. Even though GDP （Gross Domestic Product） growth is expected in years to come, employment rate will not follow that trend and unemployment will remain serious problems for many countries in future.     

Business Angel and risk capital： The impact on innovation

The aim of the analysis is to understand if the risk capital carried by Business Angels （B.A.） could affect firms with high innovation propensity in creating more innovations than receiving risk capital from other financial operators. Innovation is a critical factor for the competitiveness of national system especially when the economy of the latter has come to maturity. For realizing ＂the successful exploitation of ideas, into new products, processes, services or business practices, and the critical process for achieving two complementary business goals of performance and growth, which in turn will help to close the productivity gap＂ （DTI＇s Innovation Report, 2003, p. 8）, firms have to understand which are the right competences to increase. In this context, the authors have developed a framework that measures the propensity to innovate in the firms. The model considers the firm＇s competences （grouped into four macro areas as management, organization, ITC and marketing） to improve the creation, development and diffusion of the innovation. The work is structured as an empirical analysis as follows： （1） The authors analyzed a sample of 12 business plans （choices for high level of innovation in their business） that received risk capital from B.A. and other financial operators; （2） For each firm, their innovation propensity is measured through the author＇s model during their start-up period （the data analyzed are business plan＇s data）; （3） After a period of time （3 years）, the authors checked if the firms with high innovation propensity have created real innovation and if a correlation exists between risk capital origin （from Business Angels or not） and innovation propensity. The conclusion of the work is the finns with B.A.＇s risk capital have a high innovation propensity and create after a medium term period more innovation compared with the others.