Search results

The research aim of this article is to generate novel insights into how public sector organizations (PSOs) strategically communicate with the public about critical issues on social media. To this end, the study explores the public's experiences of the Swedish Police's sense of safety communication on Instagram in the third largest city in Sweden, where the lack of a sense of public safety is a main societal challenge.

The research was designed as a case study employing photo-elicitation interviews as a method to collect the empirical material. A phenomenography approach was used to analyze public experiences of the Swedish Police's Instagram communication in Malmö, Sweden.

Findings show that the police's strategic communication of safety on Instagram is experienced along the dimensions of a sense of protection, a sense of proximity and a sense of ambiguity. Taken together, these dimensions broaden and develop the knowledge of what communicating a sense of safety in the public sphere entails.

This study adds to previous research on strategic communication in public sector organizations by demonstrating what strategic communication accomplishes at the receiving end outside of the organization.

The Recast Energy Efficiency Directive 2023 has defined the concept of “split incentive,” also known as “tenant-owner dilemma.” This dilemma refers to the situation where neither landlords nor tenants have incentives to invest in energy efficiency upgrades. Although the Energy Efficiency Directive calls Member States to overcome legal barriers to remove split incentives and to encourage retrofits, the list of possible measures is too vague. This paper aims to discuss tenancy law measures designed to increase the energy efficiency of residential housing and to detect which Member States have already addressed this phenomenon.

This paper analyses, from a civil legal perspective, the possible private law barriers arising from the tenant-owner dilemma when performing energy efficiency works in selected countries and proposes legal reforms in tenancy law and related policies to overcome them. To do so, this paper follows a legal-dogmatic and comparative law methodology.

This paper concludes that some tenancy law provisions, such as the possibility to increase the rent after energy efficiency renovations and long-term leases, may challenge the tenant-owner dilemma in private rented markets, thus promoting renovations and retrofitting for energy efficiency purposes. It also proposes other policies intended to increase parties’ willingness to undertake works.

More research on the economic and legal efficiency to regulate some of the civil law measures to challenge the tenant-owner dilemma should be necessary.

The civil law measures included in this paper may help national policymakers meet the energy efficiency targets, according to what is established in the Recast Energy Efficiency Directive 2023.

Based on the economic theory of the tenant-owner dilemma, this paper investigates the elements of tenancy law that may contribute to less energy-efficient homes, proposing policies for those countries interested in addressing the energy-efficiency challenge from a private law point of view.

This study aims to determine whether the relationship between the Muslim community and moneylenders is important even though the practice of moneylenders is clearly forbidden in Islam. This study examines a model consisting of two major theories, namely, the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and marketing theory, and the existence of the religiosity variable as a moderator.

This study uses a structural equation modeling (SEM); SEM was chosen because it has effectiveness in revealing estimates of direct and indirect effects and shows moderating values. Manual questionnaires were distributed to 385 Acehnese who use loan shark services.

The combination of TPB and marketing theory constructs has a significant influence on the intention to use loan shark services. Then, the existence of the word-of-mouth variable significantly mediates the relationship between service and subjective norms and the intention to use loan shark services. In fact, the position of the religiosity variable has a significant negative effect on the intention to use loan shark services, and in terms of the moderating effect, it has been demonstrated that religiosity weakens the relationships between the services provided by loan sharks and the intention to use loan shark services.

This study has several limitations. First, sampling is still limited and can still be expanded. Second, it is difficult to get data and there are people who refuse to be sampled. Third, this study succeeded in capturing the phenomenon of the behavioral intentions of people who have a religious spirit but are still associated with moneylenders.

This research provides material implications for the Aceh Government, especially in managing public funds. Indeed, Aceh is a productive province that has produced policies and regulations that encourage the Sharia economy; it is just that the use of social funds and Islamic philanthropy in Aceh has not been maximized, which has led to the growth of a network of moneylenders. Because of this, Aceh, which has been successful in producing the law for Islamic financial institutions, should also be successful in destroying the moneylender network by synergizing to create alternatives and financial solutions for the community, especially the lower and middle classes.

This research explains that the level of religiosity can dampen and reduce the intention to use loan shark services; therefore, it is important for the community to understand the dangerous impact of using loan shark services and expand the role of community leaders in socializing the idea of lending money to loan sharks.

Due to the lack of studies on the behavior of Muslims using the services of moneylenders, therefore, this study provides new knowledge of the literature on the economic behavior of Muslim communities who continue to use the services of moneylenders. This study develops TPB theory and marketing theory in one model and involves the religiosity variable as a moderator.

The purpose of this paper is to identify and analyze the interdependence of project complexity factors (PCFs) in metro rail projects using the Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL). The study provides qualitative and quantitative analysis of project complexities factors and their relationships. The results of the study facilitate effective project planning, proactive risk management and informed decision-making by stakeholders.

This study employs a case-based method for identifying PCFs and a DEMATEL method for analyzing the interdependence of complexity factors in metro rail projects. Initially, PCFs were identified through an extensive literature review. To validate and refine these factors, semi-structured interviews were conducted with thirty experienced professionals, each having 5–20 years of experience in roles such as project management, engineering, and planning. Further, elevated and underground metro rail projects were purposefully selected as cases, for identifying the similarities and differences in PCFs. A questionnaire survey was conducted with various technical experts in metro rail projects. These experts rated the impact of PCFs on a five-point Likert scale, for the evaluation of the interdependence of PCFs. The DEMATEL technique was used to analyze the interdependencies of the PCFs.

Metro rail projects are influenced by project complexity, which significantly impacts their performance. The analysis reveals that “design problems with existing structures,” “change in design or construction” and “land acquisition” are the key factors contributing to project complexity.

The study of project complexity in metro rail projects is limited because most of the studies have studies on examining complexity in mega projects. The existing literature lacks adequate attention in identifying project complexity and its effects on metro rail project performance. This research aims to bridge this gap by examining project complexity and interdependencies in metro rail projects.

This study aims to explore the determinants that impact state Islamic University/Perguruan Tinggi Keagamaan Islam Negeri students’ intention to adopt online cash waqfs. In doing so, this study integrates knowledge of cash waqf and trust variables within the theory of planned behavior (TPB), allowing an examination of the mediating role of TPB variables and trust within the relationship between knowledge of cash waqf and intention for online cash waqf behavior.

To carry out an empirical analysis, the authors developed a well-structured questionnaire and distributed it to a group of students currently enrolled in PTKIN, obtaining 443 usable responses. The partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique was used for the dual purposes of data analysis and hypothesis testing.

This study demonstrates that factors such as attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, trust and knowledge of cash waqf have a significant and favorable influence on the intention to donate through e-cash waqf. Knowledge of cash waqf impacts attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control and trust. The final analysis shows that attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control and trust partially mediate the relationship between knowledge and intention in the online cash waqf context.

The aforementioned elucidates the paramount importance of trust in shaping individuals’ tendencies to engage in cash waqfs. The insights mentioned have the potential to be used by cash waqf establishments to promote transparency and accountability, ultimately bolstering the confidence of potential donors.

The concepts of waqf and the use of online cash waqf as a means of donation in developing countries are relatively new. In this study, the intention of students to adopt online cash waqf was predicted for the first time by considering their knowledge of cash waqf and their trust in online cash waqf transactions.

In recent years, gambling among university students has received significant focus as it may be viewed as an attractive and exciting form of income whilst studying. Given this, stakeholders in protection from gambling-related harm need to better understand student gambling behaviours. This understanding should include students on sports-based programmes given their closer connection to sporting events, and a heightened sense of competition among such often gendered cohorts. This study aims to provide greater insights into gambling behaviours among these cohorts.

The present pilot study comprised 210 university students on sports-based and non-sport-based programmes. Participants self-reported frequencies of gambling activity and expenditure via an online survey.

Results showed a significantly greater frequency of female student non-gamblers on non-sports-based degree programmes and a high frequency of male student gamblers on sports-based degree programmes (p = 0.02). Sports-based students also reported significantly higher scores on the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) than non-sports students (p < 0.01). Finally, gambling expenditure (p < 0.01) and regularity (p < 0.01) were significantly lower among students studying non-sports degree programmes.

The findings of the present study provide evidence to warrant further investigation into gambling perceptions and behaviours among students on sports-based programmes, with a view to assessing the potential need for targeted awareness, tailored support and how both can most effectively be provided.

Information was obtained in interviews with Richard Nagel in Winter/Spring 2022. This information was supplemented by material from secondary sources. The only information that was disguised were the real names for Bob Crater, Tim Landy, Jane Tolley and Mary Nagel.

The case was classroom tested in Summer 2022. The responses from students helped to shape the writing of the case.

Richard Nagel, the owner of the RE/MAX Elite real estate agency in Monmouth Beach, New Jersey, has just learned that one of his agents, Tim Landy, quit and left the industry. Tim was a young real estate agent and Richard had spent considerable time training him. Tim was motivated and he worked hard to prospect for business, but he showed that he was experiencing difficulty closing on his sales. Richard decided to recommend that Tim work with another agent, Bob Crater, as Bob was an experienced salesman but was not doing the up-front prospecting that Tim was doing. Richard suggested two different strategies to the two agents – a pairing up arrangement and peer-to-peer learning. The outcome that Richard envisioned was that both of the struggling salesmen would benefit from either of these strategies, but Bob refused to collaborate.

Tim’s quitting was characteristic of an ongoing problem with employee retention that Richard had been experiencing as a manager in recent years. This problem caused Richard to think about how he recruited his real estate agents, how he developed them through coaching and how he motivated them so that they would stay happy in their job and not leave. He recognized the importance of thoroughly examining his retention strategy within the next 12 months so that he could better manage the problem and strengthen the productivity of his real estate agency.

The case is intended for an undergraduate course in human resources management, as it deals directly with recruiting, coaching and retaining employees.

In this paper, I discuss the personalities of several representative crypto YouTube celebrities and Bitcoin aficionados, such as George Tung from CryptosRUs, Mike Jenkins (Guy) from Coin Bureau, Lark Davis, Andreas M. Antonopoulos, and Richard Heart. I look closely at their online performances to reveal the character of a trickster, the ambivalent mythological figure that symbolizes chaos, creativity, and disruption. Based on the core literature on the subject, I trace how the figure of a trickster has transformed into the jester in medieval times, and then into the adventurer in the new modern times, and how this transformation is relevant for today. A variety of examples demonstrates that the jester, the trickster, and the adventurer all reveal themselves in different facets of crypto influencers’ performances. However, the most popular YouTubers are also comparatively tame: they produce educational content on cryptocurrencies and blockchain, as compared to “get rich quick” schemes, which are typically presented with a higher degree of tricksteriness. There are also crucial differences and omissions: crypto influencers do not demonstrate queerness, which is inherent to the trickster, and they do not balance praise with abuse, as jesters do. The modern type of an adventurer is more fitting, although it is mostly found in the virtual Wild West of blockchain entrepreneurship, rather than on the most popular YouTube channels.

The importance of service firms cooperating with digital platforms is widely acknowledged. The authors study three contractual relationships (fixed-cost, cost-sharing, and profit-sharing) between service firms (specifically hotels) and digital platforms in a highly fragmented service supply chain to examine which of these contract types optimizes profits.

The authors extend prior models analyzing the optimal expected total profit from the travel service firm (hotel)–digital platform relationship, providing new insights into each contract type’s ability to coordinate decentralized systems and optimize profits for both parties.

This study finds that fixed cost contracts cannot coordinate the decentralized system. Cost-sharing contracts can coordinate the decentralized system but only allow one channel profit split. In contrast, profit-sharing contracts may not always perfectly coordinate the decentralized system but support alternative profit allocations. Practically, both profit-sharing and cost-sharing contracts are preferable to fixed-cost contracts.

The paper includes implications for travel service firm managers to consider when structuring contracts with digital platforms to focus on profit optimization. Profit-sharing contracts are most preferable when cost and revenue data are fully shared between parties, while cost-sharing contracts are preferable over fixed-cost contracts.

This study extends prior investigations into the utility of different contract types on the optimal profit of a travel service firm (hotel)-digital platform provider relationship. The research fills a gap in the literature concerning the contracts used in these relationship types.

This study aims to examine the impact of socioeconomic factors on electricity usage and assess the feasibility of implementing a mini-grid system in Kasangazi, Malawi. The primary aim is to understand the community’s current and potential utilisation of electrical equipment.

A mixed-methods approach was used to collect quantitative and qualitative data. Information was gathered through structured questionnaires, and energy audits were conducted among 87 randomly selected households from 28 Kasangazi communities. Data analysis relied on descriptive statistics using IBM SPSS version 28.

The study indicates that every household in Kasangazi uses non-renewable energy sources: 60 households use disposable batteries for lighting, 20 for radios and all use firewood, freely sourced from local forests, for cooking and heating water. The study shows that firewood is the community’s preferred energy source, illustrating the challenges faced in the fight against deforestation. Most household income comes from farming, with smaller contributions from businesses, employment and family remittances. Access to higher education is scarce, with only one out of 349 family members receiving tertiary education. Despite the constraints of low education levels and income, there is a demand for larger electrical appliances such as stoves and refrigerators. This underscores the need for mini-grid solutions, even in less technologically advanced, agriculture-dependent communities.

This study underscores that in Sub-Saharan Africa, factors like household size, income and education levels do not significantly influence the electricity demand but should be taken as part of the fundamental human rights. Rural populations express a desire for electricity due to the convenience it offers, particularly for appliances like refrigerators and stoves. Mini-grids emerge as a viable alternative in regions where grid electricity provision is challenging. It is concluded from this paper that the issue of using renewable energy should not only be taken for environmental preservation but also to promote energy access, augmenting efforts in supplying electricity to the remotest parts of the country.