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This brief highlights policies and procedures adopted by governments in South East Asia to increase better access to higher education among the lower socio-economic population groups. Increasing skills, knowledge, and competencies will create a competitive workforce for the manufacturing industry that is fast adopting Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR 4.0) for increased production and viability. The brief also outlines the challenges faced in actualizing these policies. It highlights the impact of Covid-19 in accelerating technology use in higher education, as well as underscoring the increased gaps in access to higher education in the region due to Covid-19. The policy brief concludes with recommendations of best practices adopted in developed countries that are grounded in collaboration and sharing of resources.

Literature shows that the antecedents of eWoM have received limited attention and the present scales used for measuring eWoM in the hospitality and tourism industry are outdated. Therefore, this study aims to construct a new scale for the generation of positive eWoM in the hospitality and tourism industry.

This study developed a novel scale on eWoM based on the four dimensions of the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology.

The exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis confirms the factorial structure of the new scale. The exploratory factor analysis shows that “performance expectancy” has the highest impact on the constitution of positive eWoM with 8 items, followed by “social influence” and “facilitation condition” with 5 items each. The factor “effort expectancy” is found to have the lowest impact on the constitution of positive eWoM in the hospitality and tourism industry with 3 items. The confirmatory factor analysis in terms of the construct reliability, average variance extracted and maximum shared variance tests confirmed the model validity of the new scale.

This study ensures measuring eWoM with the latest norms that will assist in prudent policy formulation. These results insights into policymakers from the hospitality and tourism industry for the generation of positive eWoM towards their business which will help them achieve better customer loyalty.

In this chapter, we analyze and reflect on how our cultural identities and educational experiences as international students who pursued a doctoral degree in the United States affected and influenced our teaching philosophy and praxis as professors and educators. In this sense, we examine how our cultural identities and experiences help us define and shape our teaching praxis in the contexts in which we teach. We both are professors of color – Latino and Latino-Japanese – who graduated from doctoral programs in the United States. Currently, we work and serve culturally and linguistically diverse students, including first-generation students, in public higher education settings in Chile and the United States. We used a collection of narratives to delve into the significance of these events in our praxis. As theoretical lenses, we analyze these narratives using cultural identity and the reflecting teacher to examine our practices and identities as educators. We both conclude that our reflections, experiences, and cultural identities have been instrumental in the process of developing a professional identity that guides our teaching praxis in ways that are critical and social justice oriented.

The Annual Review of Comparative and International Education (ARCIE) represents a forum and an opportunity for scholars worldwide to discuss and examine trends and directions in comparative/international education, highlighting relevant developments in these fields, related to educational contexts, climates, and reforms in these contexts. Changes and reforms within these contexts and areas can have significant impacts on various education stakeholders, agents, and societies. Given the need to identify and prepare for these changes, the objective of this chapter is to discuss recent trends and directions in the field of Comparative and International Education (CIE). The method employed to identify these trends was a meta-analysis of the 23 chapters published in the 2020 edition of ARCIE. The 23 chapters composed the corpus of texts analyzed in this study, with the support of an online platform for corpora processing. Results of the analysis were contrasted with relevant literature in the field and suggest that (among the three main missions of universities) teaching and research received more attention than outreach/services, considering the corpus analyzed. In addition, teachers and students received more attention than administrative staff. Therefore, we conclude that more attention is necessary toward these aspects (outreach and administrative staff) in the pursuit of social justice and UN’s sustainable development goals (SDGs). Finally, the prevalence of topics related to language and sustainability suggests a need for more representativeness, in terms of regions and languages studied in the field of CIE.

The COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately impacted Latinos across the United States though data on emerging immigrant communities is lacking. The purpose of this study is to better understand how Latino immigrants were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing a community health clinic in Charlotte, North Carolina to quickly respond to their needs.

A mixed method, rapid appraisal using community-based participatory research approaches conducted in February to April 2021 by a team of bilingual researchers. Project consisted of a Spanish, electronic survey distributed through community leaders and in-person interviews conducted in Spanish at COVID-19 vaccine clinics. SPSS Version 26 was used for quantitative analysis. Ordinal and binary logistic regression tests were performed to assess the associations among several outcome and four predictor variables: documentation status, status of health insurance, level of trust in the vaccine and place of birth. Qualitative analysis used rapid appraisal and grounded theory approaches.

Latino immigrants experienced job and income loss, resulting in difficulty paying for food, housing and health care. Participants experienced emotional and financial stress and isolation from family. Undocumented immigrants were more likely to experience detrimental impacts than documented immigrants. Most wanted the vaccine but felt barriers like trust and insurance may prevent them.

Findings from this study are locally relevant to Latino immigrants living in the Charlotte area of North Carolina and findings may not be generalizable to other Latinos. Participants were recruited through faith networks and those who are not connected may not be represented. In addition, interview participants were sampled during vaccination clinics and likely had positive views of the vaccine.

As a direct result of this project, community health clinic (CHC) held vaccination clinics to instill more confidence in the vaccination process. Spanish-speaking staff were available to assist with paperwork and answer questions onsite. The importance of familismo in decision-making and the reported presence of misinformation about the vaccine prompted CHC to continue providing accurate information about the vaccine in Spanish, and to strategize marketing materials to reflect a family-centric approach to better appeal to Latinos. Findings were used to obtain funding for expansion of clinical and behavioral health services in the community through mobile units, increasing accessibility for Latino immigrants.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this was the first study to examine the effects of the pandemic on a growing and disproportionately underrepresented group in an emerging immigrant state. Findings informed culturally competent COVID-19 vaccine clinics, marketing strategies and the expansion of medical and behavioral health services for a local community clinic.

Internationalization has been a paramount objective for higher education institutions (HEIs) for decades. However, the landscape of education underwent significant transformation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to altered contexts, challenges and opportunities for HEI internationalization. This paper aims to critically evaluate the dimensions of internationalization strategies in HEIs and the opportunities within each dimension. Adopting a reflexive approach, the study focused on non-Western HEIs, recognizing the diverse approaches to internationalization within higher education contexts.

Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methodology, this paper covered 74 articles published in Web of Science database from January 2019 to December 2023.

The study organized dimensions related to internationalization strategies in non-Western HEIs, offering a comprehensive framework comprising six dimensions: students, programs, faculty, research, international ventures and other sources; and nine internationalization facilitators: international partnerships, funding, government education, international policies, technology, internationalization culture, diversity and inclusion, staff competence and attitude, student/faculty engagement, intercultural experience and satisfaction, English as a medium of instruction (EMI), and knowledge transfer mechanisms. Furthermore, the study delineated strategies within each dimension and highlighted prevalent performance indicators utilized by HEIs.

The study’s primary contribution is a conceptual framework designed to assist HEI directors and academics. This framework delves into dimensions, strategies and indicators of internationalization particularly relevant in the post-pandemic era.

This study aims to address the reliability and construct validity of the Individual Work Performance Questionnaire (IWPQ) in a Vietnamese context. Using the IWPQ as a measurement tool, this research also examined whether demographic features (such as gender, education level, work experience and position in a company) influenced employees’ work performance.

The Vietnamese IWPQ was validated via a two-step process of factor analysis, including an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The data collected were randomly divided into two subsamples to independently serve the EFA (n = 341) and CFA (n = 342). ANOVAs and t-tests were also used to examine the differences in individual work performance (IWP) among different demographic categories.

The results of the current study confirmed the applicability of the three-dimensional IWPQ in a Vietnamese context. In addition, they also indicated several demographic features that impacted employees’ patterns of responses to IWPQ dimensions.

This study focused on the construct validity of the IWPQ, without taking the content, face or criterion validity into consideration. Thus, future research should be conducted to yield a more comprehensive validation of the instrument, to measure the relationship between human resource development (HRD) practices and employee performance and to examine the relationship between strategic HRD and IWP and firm outcomes. In addition, the validated Vietnamese version of the IWPQ may inspire comparative studies on individual performance within and between units in an organization and among organizations and industries.

HRD practitioners can now use the validated IWPQ in the Vietnamese language to assess fluctuations in and analyze current staff performance, thereby facilitating human resource management and development. This study also offers recommendations for business leaders and HRD practitioners striving to implement strategic HRD aimed at reducing disparities in gender and between educational qualifications and job assignments at workplace, with the overarching goals of enhancing staff performance. These recommendations prove instrumental in improving staff performance, strengthening organizational efficiency and ultimately tackling the issue of low productivity in Vietnam and neighboring countries.

This study findings underscore the significance of embracing strategic HRD while taking into account individual, organizational and contextual factors that influence IWP. This approach serves to bridge current gaps related to IWP, including Vietnam’s comparatively lower productivity compared to neighboring nations, educational qualifications and role allocations within the workplace, as well as the prevailing work standards and strategic objectives.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this rigorously validated Vietnamese version of the IWPQ is the first of its kind in Vietnam, making a significant contribution to inclusivity initiatives and offering substantial evidence to affirm the IWPQ’s relevance across diverse contexts.

This study aims to explore the influence of health-care service quality on customers’ perceived value, satisfaction, effectiveness and behavioural intention concerning district health centres (DHCs) in Hong Kong. This research also intends to assess customers’ perception of the subsidy scheme and its influence on the relationships amongst the aforementioned constructs.

The convenience and snowball sampling approaches were adopted, and the self-administered questionnaire was sent to 309 customers of DHCs.

Service quality attributes in terms of staffing and procedures positively increased customers’ perceived value and staffing, procedures and operations. Physical facilities positively promoted customers’ satisfaction, consequently improving DHCs’ effectiveness and behavioural intention. However, core treatments and services of DHCs did not impact customers’ perceived value and satisfaction. Furthermore, customers receiving subsidies exhibited a more positive perception than those without subsidies.

Health-care organisations are advised to strategically allocate resources (staffing, facilities and procedures and operations management) to optimise overall performance outcomes. DHC operators could reinforce the core services of DHCs and health-care voucher subsidies to local citizens so as to enhance the effectiveness of DHCs and behavioural intention of customers.

This study integrates the input–process–output approach in measuring the effectiveness of and customers’ behavioural intention towards newly established DHCs.

The education of deaf and hard of hearing (d/DHH) students is largely dependent on the preferred mode of communication. Historically, the mode of communication for d/DHH students was determined by society rather than by students and families. This resulted in divisiveness between the Deaf culture and proponents of oral communication. The adoption of IDEA allowed family participation in the decision-making process. Advances in technology increased student access to sound, resulting in more educational placement options. Despite the positive changes, the complex nature of hearing loss and the wide variety in cultural considerations have made it difficult to determine the best approach to deaf education. Thus, educators and providers are left in a conundrum of which version of “traditional” deaf education is best for students.