Gerard W. Toh, Wee Ling Koh, Jack Ho, Jackson Chia, Ad Maulod, Irene Tirtajana, Peter Yang and Mathia Lee
Health disparities affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) populations have been reported in many countries. For Singapore, no large quantitative studies…
Abstract
Purpose
Health disparities affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) populations have been reported in many countries. For Singapore, no large quantitative studies on mental health and well-being in the local LGBTQ community have been published. The authors conducted a community-based survey (National LGBT Census Singapore, 2013; NLCS2013) that covered a comprehensive set of demographic, social and health indicators. Here, the authors investigated mental health status and its correlates in 2,350 LGBTQ individuals within the NLCS2013 sample.
Design/methodology/approach
The NLCS2013 was an anonymous online survey conducted amongst self-identified LGBTQ adults (aged ≥ 21 years) residing in Singapore. The survey included the World Health Organisation Well-being Index (WHO-5) as a measure of mental well-being, with low WHO 5 scores (<13/25) indicating poor mental well-being. The authors analysed relationships between low WHO-5 score and a range of respondent characteristics using multivariate logistic regression.
Findings
Strikingly, 40.9% of 2,350 respondents analysed had low WHO-5 scores, indicating poor mental well-being. Parental non-acceptance, experience of conflict at home and bullying/discrimination in the workplace or educational environments were all significantly associated with poor mental well-being. Conversely, community participation appeared protective for mental well-being, as respondents who participated in LGBTQ community organisations or events were less likely to have poor mental well-being than non-participants.
Originality/value
The NLCS2013 represents one of the first broad-based efforts to comprehensively and quantitatively capture the sociodemographic and health profile, including mental health status, within Singapore’s resident LGBTQ population. These findings affirm the need to address the mental health needs of LGBTQ individuals in Singapore and to foster safe spaces and allyship.
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This chapter introduces the Technology Pedagogy and Content Knowledge (TPACK) model as it relates to technology-enhanced learning design. The key features of the framework are…
Abstract
This chapter introduces the Technology Pedagogy and Content Knowledge (TPACK) model as it relates to technology-enhanced learning design. The key features of the framework are unpacked, along with a brief examination of what TPACK looks like in practice. Approaches to developing TPACK capacity are considered, with learning-by-design emerging as the most promising technique. Issues relating to TPACK are also critically discussed, including those relating to measurement and the capacity of the framework to support educational design practice.
Chih-Ming Chen, Tek-Soon Ling, Chung Chang, Chih-Fan Hsu and Chia-Pei Lim
Digital humanities research platform for biographies of Malaysia personalities (DHRP-BMP) was collaboratively developed by the Research Center for Chinese Cultural Subjectivity in…
Abstract
Purpose
Digital humanities research platform for biographies of Malaysia personalities (DHRP-BMP) was collaboratively developed by the Research Center for Chinese Cultural Subjectivity in Taiwan, the Federation of Heng Ann Association Malaysia, and the Malaysian Chinese Research Center of Universiti Malaya in this study. Using The Biographies of Malaysia Henghua Personalities as the main archival sources, DHRP-BMP adopted the Omeka S, which is a next-generation Web publishing platform for institutions interested in connecting digital cultural heritage collections with other resources online, as the basic development system of the platform, to develop the functions of close reading and distant reading both combined together as the foundation of its digital humanities tools.
Design/methodology/approach
The results of the first-stage development are introduced in this study, and a case study of qualitative analysis is provided to describe the research process by a humanist scholar who used DHRP-BMP to discover the character relationships and contexts hidden in The Biographies of Malaysia Henghua Personalities.
Findings
Close reading provided by DHRP-BMP was able to support humanities scholars on comprehending full text contents through a user-friendly reading interface while distant reading developed in DHRP-BMP could assist humanities scholars on interpreting texts from a rather macro perspective through text analysis, with the functions such as keyword search, geographic information and social networks analysis for humanities scholars to master on the character relationships and geographic distribution from personality biographies, thus accelerating their text interpretation efficiency and uncovering the hidden context.
Originality/value
At present, a digital humanities research platform with real-time characters’ relationships analysis tool that can automatically generate visualized character relationship graphs based on Chinese named entity recognition (CNER) and character relationship identification technologies to effectively assist humanities scholars in interpreting characters’ relationships for digital humanities research is still lacking so far. This study thus presents the DHRP-BMP that offers the key features that can automatically identify characters’ names and characters’ relationships from personality biographies and provide a user-friendly visualization interface of characters’ relationships for supporting digital humanities research, so that humanities scholars could more efficiently and accurately explore characters’ relationships from the analyzed texts to explore complicated characters’ relationships and find out useful research findings.
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Shatha M. Obeidat, Shahira Abdalla and Anas Abdel Karim Al Bakri
This study aims to contribute to the current Green human resource management (HRM) field by providing an empirical examination of a comprehensive model that tests the effect of…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to contribute to the current Green human resource management (HRM) field by providing an empirical examination of a comprehensive model that tests the effect of green strategic intent on Green HRM implementation, the possible effect of Green HRM and green empowerment on circular economy, and the effect of circular economy on sustainable performance. It examines the mediating effect of circular economy on the link between Green HRM and sustainable performance.
Design/methodology/approach
The study is empirical in nature. It focuses on the service sector in Qatar. Managers that work in the service sector represent the study participants. 149 questionnaires were collected and 131 completed questionnaires were used in the analysis. An advanced Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (SEM-PLS) analysis was conducted to reveal the study results.
Findings
The study findings confirmed the positive effect of green strategic intent on Green HRM, the positive link between Green HRM and green empowerment on circular economy, and the positive relationship between circular economy and sustainable performance. It also confirms the indirect effect of circular economy on the link between green HRM and sustainable performance.
Research limitations/implications
Because of the chosen research approach and the focus on the service sector in Qatar only, research results may lack generalizability.
Practical implications
This study provides important implications for practice on how to improve Green HRM practices; particularly for its unique context, the Qatari service sector.
Originality/value
This study is considered original since it is one of the few to examine a conceptual framework that links Green HRM, circular economy and sustainable performance.
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The purpose of this paper is to fulfil gaps in knowledge regarding food packaging practices in Southeast Asia by examining the informational content of food labels on a variety of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to fulfil gaps in knowledge regarding food packaging practices in Southeast Asia by examining the informational content of food labels on a variety of packaged foods.
Design/methodology/approach
Using local and imported food products found in supermarkets in Singapore, a quantitative content analysis of food label claims in a wide range of packaged food products was conducted. A codebook was developed to capture the attributes of the food labels and claims, content categories, product names, food categories, sources of manufacture and countries of brand origin. The three main regions of analysis of country of manufacture were the USA, European Union (EU) and Southeast Asia.
Findings
Analysis of food products manufactured in five Southeast Asian countries revealed the presence of various claims in food products, and a number of specific claims exceeded the percentages found in products from the USA or EU. The results showed that a significant proportion of products from Southeast Asian countries display nutrient content and nutrient function claims, as well as general marketing claims and non-nutrient claims. However, there were variations in practice amongst the five Southeast Asian countries.
Research limitations/implications
The sample was limited in being collected from one geographic location. Future research needs to expand data collection both geographically and longitudinally.
Practical implications
The findings are valuable for the national health authorities in addressing policies on food package labelling, and homogenization efforts pertaining to regional/international labelling policies. These in turn could influence food marketing practices.
Social implications
The findings are useful in crafting educational programming and guidelines for health and nutrition education.
Originality/value
This research is the first to explore food labelling practices in multiple Southeast Asian countries and compare them cross-sectionally with EU and US practices.
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Christine Nya-Ling Tan and T. Ramayah
To compete in a globally challenging environment, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are increasingly pressured to leverage their relational capital to stay competitive. The…
Abstract
Purpose
To compete in a globally challenging environment, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are increasingly pressured to leverage their relational capital to stay competitive. The purpose of this study is to model the KS behaviour of SMEs in an increasingly networked world through communities of practice (CoP).
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected using a survey instrument developed based on prior literature from SMEs operating only in the electronic manufacturing industry. A total of 120 responses were received of which only 100 were valid. SmartPLS, a second-generation analysis software, was used to analyse the model developed.
Findings
The findings indicated that affect, reward, perceived consequences and social factor were all positive predictors of KS behaviour of SMEs in communities of practice. Interestingly, the facilitating conditions were found to negatively influence KS behaviour.
Practical implications
The findings are helpful to SMEs who are embarking on knowledge management (KM) practices in their respective companies and may be used to leverage the drivers of KM to improve more sharing behaviour that keeps SMEs competitive.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors' knowledge, few studies have explored the individual (i.e. perceived consequences, affect), social (i.e. social factor) and organisational (i.e. facilitating condition, reward) predictors of KS behaviour among CoP’s in Malaysian SMEs.
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Gives a bibliographical review of the finite element methods (FEMs) applied for the linear and nonlinear, static and dynamic analyses of basic structural elements from the…
Abstract
Gives a bibliographical review of the finite element methods (FEMs) applied for the linear and nonlinear, static and dynamic analyses of basic structural elements from the theoretical as well as practical points of view. The range of applications of FEMs in this area is wide and cannot be presented in a single paper; therefore aims to give the reader an encyclopaedic view on the subject. The bibliography at the end of the paper contains 2,025 references to papers, conference proceedings and theses/dissertations dealing with the analysis of beams, columns, rods, bars, cables, discs, blades, shafts, membranes, plates and shells that were published in 1992‐1995.
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The purpose of this paper is to examine the success of enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementation based on five identified items, i.e. top management commitment (TMC), user…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the success of enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementation based on five identified items, i.e. top management commitment (TMC), user involvement (UI), business process reengineering (BPR), project management (PM) and ERP teamwork and composition (TWC) factors at Fortis hospital, Bangalore, India. It also tests a number of hypotheses and examines the hypothetical relationships among critical success items and success of ERP implementation.
Design/methodology/approach
Empirical data were collected via a survey questionnaire/interview technique. A structured interview was planned and conducted with key executives of Fortis hospital who were familiar with success of ERP implementation progress as well as examination of company documentation supported by literature.
Findings
A significant relationship was found between TMC, UI, BPR, PM and ERP TWC with success of ERP implementation at Fortis hospital.
Originality/value
The value of this paper is that it presents any hospital wishing to implement ERP with a set of critical success factors. Understanding the critical success factors would lead to a smoother implementation in hospital industry. Although as a single case study the ability to generalize the findings is narrow, support from literature and experiences add the knowledge to ERP implementation in healthcare sector in India.
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Booi Hon Kam, Ling Chen and Richard Wilding
This paper aims to examine how Chinese apparel retailers manage their production outsourcing risks and why they elect to manage those risks in a particular manner.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine how Chinese apparel retailers manage their production outsourcing risks and why they elect to manage those risks in a particular manner.
Design/methodology/approach
The investigation used the case study approach to explore factors driving two Chinese apparel retailers operating in different market environments to manage their production outsourcing risks.
Findings
The selection of production outsourcing risk management strategies hinges on what apparel retailers view as the most important value their products provide to customers. Product values were linked to specific product characteristics as well as the market environment in which the apparel retailers operated. The retailer that regarded product quality as a key value driver was found to place emphasis on manufacturer selection and use of a formal contract for process control. The retailer that viewed newness and variety as a value driver opted to cultivate a strong, committed business relationship based on Guanxi to achieve speed‐to‐market.
Research limitations/implications
As a case study research, the findings of this study have their limitations in generalisability. Given that one of the retailers did not invoke Guanxi to cultivate a long‐term business relationship with its outsourced manufacturers, the role of Guanxi in outsourcing risk management in China deserves further exploration, as businesses in China become more globalised.
Practical implications/value
This study grounds mainstream outsourcing strategy literature on operational practice through case studies. It highlights the influence of both product characteristics and market environment in dictating the choice of outsourcing risk management strategies in apparel manufacturing.
Originality/value
The study views outsourcing risk management from the perspective of minimizing outsourcing failures, rather than achieving outsourcing success. It reveals that risk management behavior of apparel retailers was linked to the notion of value protection, which varied according to what they considered as their principal product value drivers.