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1 – 10 of 26Love of life (LOL) is a new construct in positive psychology. LOL is defined by a generally positive evaluation of one’s own life, positive regard towards life and a pleasurable…
Abstract
Purpose
Love of life (LOL) is a new construct in positive psychology. LOL is defined by a generally positive evaluation of one’s own life, positive regard towards life and a pleasurable attachment to life. The purpose of this study is that LOL is associated with quality of life (QOL) and could be predicted by some of its subscales.
Design/methodology/approach
A sample of Alexandria University undergraduates took part in this study (n = 298). They responded to the WHOQOL Brief and LOL scales.
Findings
Men obtained significantly higher mean total scores than did women for general health, and the physical and psychological domains of QOL. All the Pearson correlations between LOL and QOL were significant except for two correlations for women. The strongest correlation with LOL is for the psychological QOL domain. Principal components analysis extracted one component for men which was labeled “QOL and LOL.” For women, two components were extracted, which were labeled “QOL and LOL” and “General and physical health.” Predictors of LOL were psychological and social QOL domains (men), and psychological, social and environmental QOL domains (women). It was concluded that LOL is associated with QOL, in particular, the psychological subscale. Furthermore, LOL can predict QOL, in particular, the psychological and social domains.
Research limitations/implications
This study used nonprobability sampling with a sample of students drawn from only one university. So, it may be difficult to generalize the findings.
Originality/value
LOL is a comparatively new concept in the field of positive psychology.
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Mohammed H. Fahmy, Ahmed Ageeb Elokl and Ramy Abdel-Khalek
The aim of this paper is to investigate the relationship between the ring structure of the twisted partial skew generalized power series ring
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this paper is to investigate the relationship between the ring structure of the twisted partial skew generalized power series ring
Design/methodology/approach
The authors first introduce the history and motivation of this paper. Secondly, the authors give a brief exposition of twisted partial skew generalized power series ring, in addition to presenting some properties of such structure, for instance, a-rigid ring, a-compatible ring and (G,a)-McCoy ring. Finally, the study’s main results are stated and proved.
Findings
The authors establish the relation between the diameter and girth of the zero-divisor graph of twisted partial skew generalized power series ring
Originality/value
The results of the twisted partial skew generalized power series ring embrace a wide range of results of classical ring theoretic extensions, including Laurent (skew Laurent) polynomial ring, Laurent (skew Laurent) power series ring and group (skew group) ring and of course their partial skew versions.
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Shoaib Ul-Haq, Irfan Butt, Zeeshan Ahmed and Faris Turki Al-Said
Islam plays a powerful symbolic and cultural role in the constitution of consumer preferences, especially in Muslim countries. To quantitatively study this role in the consumption…
Abstract
Purpose
Islam plays a powerful symbolic and cultural role in the constitution of consumer preferences, especially in Muslim countries. To quantitatively study this role in the consumption patterns of Muslim consumers we need a suitable scale for religiosity. However, the existing scales of religiosity have been developed primarily for Christian/Jewish respondents and cannot provide valid results for Muslim consumers. This study aims to address these challenges by re-conceptualizing the religiosity construct for Muslims and conducting an exploratory study to generate an initial scale.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper initialized the scale development exercise with a systematic review of the existing Islamic literature to ensure that we use Islamic categories to build the scale. Once the authors had a large pool of items, they consulted experts on Shariah (Islamic law) to evaluate these items for clarity, face and content validity. Next, they conducted five focus groups to (a) determine if they had covered the full terrain of Muslim religiosity; (b) identify if the items correspond with the actual experiences of the target respondents; and (c) ensure linguistic compatibility. This was followed by administering an exploratory survey designed to test psychometric properties of the new scale and to analyze the underlying dimensionality of the inventory of items.
Findings
To extract a manageable number of latent dimensions in the survey data, an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) procedure was conducted. This resulted in the extraction of five different factors which were named as Mu’amalat_societal ethics, Roshan Khayali (enlightened moderation), Ibadaat (prayers), Mu’amalat_societal laws, Azeemat (a state exhibiting scrupulous faithfulness) and Mu’amalat_business dealings. There is a divide between Ibadaat (individual and collective worship) and Muamlaat (social relations) that emerged in the data from the cluster analysis procedure.
Originality/value
Religion can be an important part of decision-making of a typical consumer. This paper proposes a new scale for Muslims to tap into their religiosity, as existing scales are not embedded in the Islamic literature. This study also distinguishes Muslim religiosity from its Western counterpart and thus helps in clarifying the Muslim religiosity construct.
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Considering the crucial role which academic adjustment plays in student success at university, gaining insight into how several factors affect this key metric is important. This…
Abstract
Purpose
Considering the crucial role which academic adjustment plays in student success at university, gaining insight into how several factors affect this key metric is important. This empirical study investigated the impact of value conflict upon the academic adjustment of first-year students at Kuwait University.
Design/methodology/approach
The data for this study were collected using the survey method from a random sample of 627 first-year university students. The data were analyzed using descriptive and regression statistical methods.
Findings
The findings showed that (1) student perceptions regarding the level of value conflict were moderate, with the highest level found in the political domain; (2) student perceptions about the level of academic adjustment were also moderate, with the highest level found in the goal domain; (3) value conflicts are a significant predictor of student academic adjustment, with political value conflicts influencing academic adjustment the most, and (4) value conflict explained 46.5% of the student academic adjustment variation.
Practical implications
These findings imply that college administrations should integrate activities designed to improve student adjustment into co-curricular activities meant for youth development. Relevant recommendations are included.
Originality/value
While significant attention has been given to student academic adjustment in higher education over the last few decades, little attention has been paid to how different factors predict adjustment especially in non-Western cultures such as higher education in Kuwait.
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Abdoulaye Diop, Ahmed Al-Emadi, Kiki Kaplanidou, Michael Sagas, Engi Elmaghraby and Yara Qutteina
The purpose of this paper is to examine how residents in Qatar, the host country of the 2022 World Cup, interact, socialize and acculturate in order to create a more harmonic…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine how residents in Qatar, the host country of the 2022 World Cup, interact, socialize and acculturate in order to create a more harmonic society, a critical factor for the event delivery and preparations.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from Qatari nationals and expatriates residing in the country of Qatar using a survey. A stratified random sampling approach was applied using as sampling framework all households having a mailing address with the country’s electric company. In total, 2,398 Qataris were contacted and 1,020 completed the survey. From the expatriate population, 1,852 were contacted and 1,134 completed the survey.
Findings
The results showed Qatari nationals were favorable toward Arab and Asian expatriates but not as favorable as Arab and Asian expatriates were toward them. Both groups of residents showed high quality of life (QOL) perceptions, with the locals having slightly higher QOL. Finally, Asian expatriates were more open to socializing with the locals and Arab expatriates.
Research limitations/implications
The results of the study shed light into the acculturation process in host societies of mega sport events such as the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Originality/value
This is the first study that examined a mega event’s host country resident’s cultural interactions to identify potential issues that can arise and interfere with the event experience of the 2022 World Cup in a very diverse society.
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Nurcan Kilinc-Ata, Abdulkadir Barut and Mücahit Citil
Today, many industries are implementing creative approaches in response to increasing environmental awareness. It is of great importance to answer the question of whether the…
Abstract
Purpose
Today, many industries are implementing creative approaches in response to increasing environmental awareness. It is of great importance to answer the question of whether the military sector, one of the most important sectors, can support renewable energy (RE) adaptation. This study aims to examine how military spending affects the supply of RE in 27 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) nations as well as the regulatory function of factors such as innovation, international trade and oil prices between 1990 and 2021.
Design/methodology/approach
The study examines the effects of military spending, income, green innovation, international trade, oil prices and the human development index on the supply of RE using various econometric approaches, which are the cointegration test, moments quantile regression and robustness test.
Findings
The findings demonstrate that all factors, excluding military spending, quite likely affect the expansion of the renewable supply. Military spending negatively influences the RE supply; specifically, a 1% increase in military spending results in a 0.88 reduction in the renewable supply. In addition, whereas income elasticity, trade and human development index in OECD nations are higher in the last quantiles of the regression than in the first quantiles, the influence of military spending and innovation on renewable supply is about the same in all quantiles.
Practical implications
OECD nations must consider the practical implications, which are essential to assess and update the military spending of OECD countries from a green energy perspective to transition to clean energy. Based on the study’s overall findings, the OECD countries should incorporate the advantages of innovation, economic growth and international trade into their clean energy transition strategies to lessen the impact of military spending on renewables.
Originality/value
The study aims to fill a gap in the literature regarding the role of military expenditures in the RE development of an OECD country. In addition, the results of the methodological analysis can be used to guide policymakers on how military spending should be in the field of RE.
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Diana Mostafa, Mostaq Hussain and Ehab K.A. Mohamed
This paper aims to examine the effect of religiosity on the degree of auditor independence given the significance of symbolic gestures constructed by client economic conditions in…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the effect of religiosity on the degree of auditor independence given the significance of symbolic gestures constructed by client economic conditions in different situations before and after considering the degree of auditors’ moral development.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper uses an experimental design based on running mixed factorial analysis of variance (SPANOVA) using mainly repeated measures GLM to test the interaction effects between (and within) variables on auditor independence.
Findings
The main findings indicate that there is a significant interactional effect between the degree of moral development and intrinsic religiosity on the degree of auditor independence, given the stimulating effect of the client’s economic gestures/conditions.
Practical implications
The Egyptian economy is growing and ensuring that auditor independence is paramount to sustaining the local, as well as foreign investors’ interest. Hence, this study is very important in highlighting factors that might lead to some impairment of auditors’ independence.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to test the interactional effect between the religious orientation rather than religious affiliation and moral development on the degree of auditor independence, such a relationship has not been tested before in the literature. Additionally and most importantly, it uses statistical measurement through its experimental design, as there is a lack of studies in terms of auditor independence in Egypt. The existing literature follows the perceptional assessment rather than the real measurement of the degree of auditor independence.
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This study aims to investigate religiosity and entrepreneurial motivation roles in the goal-specific, involving Muslim students’ entrepreneurial intention and self-efficacy…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate religiosity and entrepreneurial motivation roles in the goal-specific, involving Muslim students’ entrepreneurial intention and self-efficacy. Besides, it examines the robustness model based on group context.
Design/methodology/approach
Partial least square structural equation modelling is employed to examine 502 data collected from Muslim students in Indonesia through an online survey. Meanwhile, partial least square multigroup analysis tests the robustness model.
Findings
Religiosity plays a powerful role in increasing goal-specificity. Meanwhile, entrepreneurial motivation and self-efficacy perform as full mediations in the pathway mechanism of religiosity's effect on entrepreneurial intention.
Research limitations/implications
The current study is conducted based on the previous recommendations and contradictions. Therefore, it clarifies and develops a study on the role of religiosity and entrepreneurial motivation in the goal-specific motivation of Muslim students.
Practical implications
To increase the goal-specificity of entrepreneurship activities, policymakers in the ministry of education and universities must implement and revitalize Muslim students' understanding of the relationship between religiosity and entrepreneurship.
Originality/value
This study defines the role of religiosity in goal-specific, especially Muslim students’ entrepreneurial intentions, by gender, faculty/department and age. Furthermore, it completes the opportunity for research agendas on the relationship between religiosity, entrepreneurial motivation, self-efficacy and entrepreneurial intention.
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Shuaib Ahmed Soomro, Olivier Roques and Akhtiar Ali
This study aims to investigate the impact of fear of terror (FOT) on employee organizational commitment (OC) working in terror-induced areas through examining the role of…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the impact of fear of terror (FOT) on employee organizational commitment (OC) working in terror-induced areas through examining the role of rumination as a mediator and perceived organization support (POS) as a moderator.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors develop a model in which the mediating role of rumination in the FOT relationship is conditional to the values of OC. Using a sample size of 268 respondents, questionnaires were used to collect data from Pakistan during a period when terrorist attacks were at a peak. Results from the hierarchical regression analyses provided support for the developed model.
Findings
Overall, the statistical model is significant (p < 0.05); the authors found negative relationships between FOT and OC. The authors found that FOT positively led to rumination, which then negatively led to OC. It was also found that POS significantly moderated FOT and OC.
Practical implications
This study revealed that FOT is a deterring factor that changed employees’ OC. It further revealed that organizations providing support to employees working in terrorist-ridden areas showed positive commitment. This paper discusses the theoretical and practical implications of these findings.
Originality/value
This paper provides an examination of the relationship between FOT and employee OC. It expands our knowledge of the stress theory and terror management theory for employees working in discontinuous areas.
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Anil Mathur, Benny Barak, Yong Zhang, Keun S. Lee, Boonghee Yoo and Jeeyeon Ha
– The purpose of this paper is to develop a scale to measure social religiosity (SR) and assess its measurement invariance across different cultures.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop a scale to measure social religiosity (SR) and assess its measurement invariance across different cultures.
Design/methodology/approach
The research relied on samples from China (n=486), India (n=377), Japan (n=362), Korea (n=386), and the USA (n=580). The invariance process involved carrying out a series of confirmatory factor analyses with progressively more restrictive constraints.
Findings
Results show the SR scale to be reliable and valid across culturally and religiously diverse countries. Implications of the findings are also discussed.
Originality/value
Based on Katz (1988) this is a new scale to measure SR and its measurement invariance is assessed across culturally divergent countries.
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