A model for providing emotion awareness and feedback using fuzzy logic in online learning

Monitoring users’ emotive states and using that information for providing feedback and scaffolding is crucial. In the learning context, emotions can be used to increase students’ attention as well as to improve memory and reasoning. In this context, tutors should be prepared to create affective learning situations and encourage collaborative knowledge construction as well as identify those students’ feelings which hinder learning process. In this paper, we propose a novel approach to label affective behavior in educational discourse based on fuzzy logic, which enables a human or virtual tutor to capture students’ emotions, make students aware of their own emotions, assess these emotions and provide appropriate affective feedback. To that end, we propose a fuzzy classifier that provides a priori qualitative assessment and fuzzy qualifiers bound to the amounts such as few, regular and many assigned by an affective dictionary to every word. The advantage of the statistical approach is to reduce the classical pollution problem of training and analyzing the scenario using the same dataset. Our approach has been tested in a real online learning environment and proved to have a very positive influence on students’ learning performance.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

A fuzzy-based approach for classifying students' emotional states in online collaborative work

(c) 2016 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other users, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted components of this work in other works.Emotion awareness is becoming a key aspect in collaborative work at academia, enterprises and organizations that use collaborative group work in their activity. Due to pervasiveness of ICT's, most of collaboration can be performed through communication media channels such as discussion forums, social networks, etc. The emotive state of the users while they carry out their activity such as collaborative learning at Universities or project work at enterprises and organizations influences very much their performance and can actually determine the final learning or project outcome. Therefore, monitoring the users' emotive states and using that information for providing feedback and scaffolding is crucial. To this end, automated analysis over data collected from communication channels is a useful source. In this paper, we propose an approach to process such collected data in order to classify and assess emotional states of involved users and provide them feedback accordingly to their emotive states. In order to achieve this, a fuzzy approach is used to build the emotive classification system, which is fed with data from ANEW dictionary, whose words are bound to emotional weights and these, in turn, are used to map Fuzzy sets in our proposal. The proposed fuzzy-based system has been evaluated using real data from collaborative learning courses in an academic context.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Risk assessment of blasting operations in open pit mines using FAHP method

Purpose. In the mining blasting operation, fragmentation is the most important output. Fly rock, ground vibration, air blast, and environmental effects are detrimental effects of blasting operations. Identifying and ranking the risk of blasting operations is considered as the most important stage in project management. Methods. In this research, the problem of identifying and ranking the factors constituting the risk in blasting operations is considered with the methodology of the Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process (FAHP). Criteria and sub-criteria have been determined based on historical research studies, field studies, and expert opinions for designing a hierarchical process. Findings. Based on FAHP scores, non-control of the sub-criterion of health and safety (C3), blast operation results (C18) and knowledge, and skill and staffing (C2) with a score of 0.377, 0.334, and 0.294 respectively are the most effective sub-criterion for the creation of blasting operations risk. According to the score, the sub-criterion C18 is the most effective sub-criterion in providing the blasting operations risk. Effects and results of blasting operations (D8), with a score of 0.334 as the most effective criterion, and natural hazards (D10), with a score of 0.015, were the last priorities in the factors causing blasting operations risk. Originality. Regarding the risk rating of blasting operations, the control of the sub-criteria C3, C18, and C2, and the D8 criterion, is of particular importance in reducing the risk of blasting operations and improving project management. Practical implications. The evaluation of human resource performance and increase in the level of knowledge and skills and occupational safety and control of all outputs of blasting operations is necessary. Therefore, selecting the most important project risks and taking actions to remove them is essential for risk management.Мета. Визначення ризиків проведення вибухових робіт та їх оцінка на основі використанням нечіткого методу аналізу ієрархій (НМАІ) для покращення управління якістю проектів. Методика. В рамках даного дослідження, проблеми визначення та оцінки ризиків вибухових робіт розглядалися із застосуванням нечіткого методу аналізу ієрархій. На базі аналізу історичних даних і польового дослідження з урахуванням експертних оцінок були визначені критерії та підкритерії для побудови ієрархій. Результати. За результатами НМАІ, неконтролюючий підкритерій здоров’я та безпеки (С3), підкритерій результатів вибухових робіт (С18), знань, умінь і кадрів (С2) зі значеннями 0.377, 0.334 і 0.294 відповідно найбільш ефективні в появі ризику проведення вибухових робіт. Підкритерій С18 чинить найбільший вплив на ризик проведення вибухових робіт. Критерій результатів і наслідків вибухових робіт (D8) з найефективнішим значенням 0.334 та критерій природних катастроф (D10) зі значенням 0.015 є останніми пріоритетами серед чинників, які визначають ризик проведення вибухових робіт. Наукова новизна. Отримав доповнення та подальший розвиток науково-методичний підхід до визначення ризиків при проведенні вибухових робіт, заснований на їх ранжуванні з використанням системи виявлених критеріїв і підкритеріїв методом НМАІ. Практична значимість. Для успішного керування проектом важливо визначати найсерйозніші ризики проекту й вжити заходів щодо їх усунення. Відносно ранжирування ризиків проведення вибухових робіт управління підкритеріями C3, C18 і C2, а також критерієм D8, особливо важливо для зниження цих ризиків та покращення якості управління проектом.Цель. Определение рисков проведения взрывных работ и их оценка на основе использования нечеткого метода анализа иерархий (НМАИ) для улучшения управления качеством проектов. Методика. В рамках данного исследования, проблемы определения и оценки рисков взрывных работ рассматривались с применением нечеткого метода анализа иерархий. На базе анализа исторических данных и полевого исследования с учетом экспертных оценок были определены, критерии и подкритерии для построения иерархий. Результаты. По результатам НМАИ, неконтролирующий подкритерий здоровья и безопасности (С3), подкритерий результатов взрывных работ (С18), знаний, умений и кадров (С2) со значениями 0.377, 0.334 и 0.294 соответственно наиболее эффективны в появлении риска проведения взрывных работ. Подкритерий С18 оказывает самое большое влияние на риск проведения взрывных работ. Критерий результатов и последствий взрывных работ (D8) с самым эффективным значением 0.334 и критерий природных катастроф (D10) со значением 0.015 являются последними приоритетами среди факторов, которые определяют риск проведения взрывных работ. Научная новизна. Получил дополнение и дальнейшее развитие научно-методический подход к определению рисков при проведении взрывных работ, основанный на их ранжировании с использованием системы выявленных критериев и подкритериев методом НМАИ. Практическая значимость. Для успешного руководства проектом важно определять самые серьезные риски проекта и предпринять действия по их устранению. В отношении ранжирования рисков проведения взрывных работ управление подкритериями C3, C18 и C2, а также критерием D8, особенно важно для снижения этих рисков и улучшения руководства проектом.The authors would like to thank Mining Engineering Department, Islamic Azad University (South Tehran Branch) for supporting this research

Unfolding the role of marketplace resources in forming entrepreneurial narratives

The narrative perspective has discussed the role of entrepreneurs as mindful actors who contextualise innovation through their relational, temporal, and performative efforts. Although the agency of material elements is recognised in the narrative perspective, the materials’ role is reduced to be controlled and mobilised by entrepreneurs with some existing possibilities of showing resistance. This reductionist approach toward materials has restricted our understanding of the ways materials actively impose their agency, form narratives, and contextualise innovations along with entrepreneurs. This study adopts ANT (Actor-Network Theory) as a lens and explores the role of materials in entrepreneurship process. Specifically, it explores how materials (non-human actors) interact with entrepreneurs, impose their agency, challenge the efforts of entrepreneurs in contextualising innovation, and in turn shape the emerging entrepreneurial narratives

Small business sport sponsorship: A case study

Within a reasonably short timeframe sponsorship has morphed from a passive form of marketing that was often philanthropic in nature (Morgan et al., 2014), to a legitimate element of the promotional mix (Segium & O’Reilly, 2007), and a key strategic business partnership initiative (O’Reilly & Horning, 2013). Sport sponsorship has been defined as the provision of assistance by commercial organisations (sponsors), in cash or kind, to a sports property (sponsee), in exchange for the rights to be associated with the sports property for the purpose of gaining a commercial and economic advantage (Triodi, 2001). While substantial research has been directed towards large organisations and corporate sponsorship, little interest has been focussed on the relationship between small businesses and sport sponsorship (Mack, 1999, Jing 2010). Small businesses are extensively involved in the sponsorship of sports organisations, teams, individuals and events (Slack & Bentz, 2010). As more and more local and regional sport organisations look towards sponsorship as a means to financially support their organisations this relationship will continue to grow. Given that 97% of all enterprises in New Zealand are defined as “small” this research aims to address the gap in the literature and to contribute to the advancement of the ‘philanthropic-sponsorship’ continuum. The Waikato Rugby Union (WRU) was selected as the case study due to the nature of the sporting code, its established history, and its strong brand. The research applied a qualitative, exploratory approach in order to explore small business perceptions and experiences with sport sponsorship. A series of in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with relevant personnel from selected WRU small business sponsors. Interviews were recorded, transcribed and then analysed using grounded theory coding techniques, allowing for key themes to emerge. The study examined the objectives, practices and perceptions of small businesses related to sponsorship decision making. For the purpose of this study, a small business was defined as any enterprise with less than 20 employees. The research findings contradicted previous small business – sport sponsorship literature. The findings highlighted that there was long-term strategic planning, with 75% of the businesses initiated the first contact with the WRU. While decisions were still predominantly made by one individual, they were clearly based on ‘corporate’ objectives rather than personal preferences and/or a sense of “giving back” to the community. The three top objectives were hospitality, brand awareness and networking. The strength of the WRU brand was also a factor in the decision-making. However, there were little or no formalised internal policies to guide the small business sport sponsorship screening and selection processes in terms of sponsorship opportunities, and limited sponsorship evaluation. As sponsors become more and more a part of the social context that shapes and sustains local and regional sport it is important that both sport organisations and small businesses understand better what motivates, attracts and sustains small business sponsorship. It is unclear is this stage if the findings are a result of the status that Rugby holds in the New Zealand psyche and the professionalisation of the sport, or if this is an evolving trend. Further research into other sporting codes would contribute to the understanding of the small business – sport sponsorship dynamics

Development of a Methodology for the Economic Assessment of Managerial Decisions as a Factor of Increased Economic Security

The article notes that the emergence of such a phenomenon as the interdependence of security and development, the so-called security-development nexus, becomes a determinant during the development of strategic documents at all hierarchical levels. It gives relevance to the search for methodological solutions that would on a strategic level take into account any potential threats to economic security, and on a tactical level provide for pragmatic actions that are not in conflict with the strategic development vector of business entities. The authors identify the instability factors that pose a real threat to economic security. They substantiate the expediency of forming a new model of the national economy development with a focal point on new industrialization. The article factors in the most important trends in the development of the global economy that determine the strategic vector of enhancing the economic security in Russia. It is ascertained that in the conditions of new industrialization, the intellectual core of the high-tech economy sector is formed by convergent technologies (NBICS technologies). The authors offer a methodological approach to the economic assessment of managerial decisions in the context of uncertainty. They also identify methodological principles that must be taken into account in developing a modern methodology for the economic assessment of business decisions. The principles include forming a preferred reality, or the so-called “vision of the future,” the priority of network solutions as the basis for the formation of new markets; mass customization and individualization of demands, principal changes in the profile of competences that ensure competitiveness on the labor market, use of the ideology of inclusive development and impact investment that creates common values. The proposed methodology is based on the optimum combination of traditional methods used for the economic assessment of managerial decisions with the method of real options and reflexive assessments with regard to entropy as a measure of uncertainty. The proposed methodological approach has been tested in respect of the Ural mining and metallurgical complex.The article has been prepared with the support of the grant from the Russian Foundation for Basic Research № 16–06–00403 "Modelling the Motivational Potentials of the Multi-subject Industrial Policy in the Context of New Industrialization"

Board diversity and performance of microfinance institutions (MFIS): Evidence from an emerging economy

Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) are important service providers of finance for unbanked people and have experienced a high growth over the past decades. Alongside the staggering growth of microfinance around the world, there have been some serious complaints of unfair practices and low transparency in their affairs. Therefore, it is questionable whether microfinance contributes to a true reduction in worldwide poverty in the short or long terms. This study examines the corporate governance practices of microfinance institutions (MFIs) in India and their relationship with both financial performance and outreach for the period 2007 to 2012. Using unbalanced panel data for 575 firm-year observations, we report that the financial performance and outreach of Indian MFIs improves when they have international/donor representation on their board. Independent directors and client representatives on board perform favourably on financial performance but no impact on outreach. However, female directors on the board increases outreach to the poor people but decrease the financial performance. This study significantly contribute to a better understanding of board diversity of microfinance sector by providing empirical evidence from one of the dominant countries in South Asian region

Sustainability and corporate governance: A comparative evaluation of approach for Dangote Group and Gallagher Group

Sustainability has been resonating within the business community and the academia. Indeed, sustainability has moved from being an ideology to a technique that guarantees business profitability. As corporate social responsibility (CSR) is expanding its frontiers to respond to continued agitation for business to treat the planet and its people with respect, sustainability is no longer optional. This research paper aims to demonstrate the curiosity of the author to develop a project in the area of sustainability and corporate governance; in particular, the correlation between sustainability and corporate governance, with the main objective of embarking on a comparative study of the sustainability approach of two companies from two continents. For this work, the author has in mind to evaluate the sustainability approaches of these companies in their supply chain management. Unlike the conventional approach, an intercontinental perspective on sustainability is rare. Therefore, the primary focus of the research will be to investigate the sustainability practices in the supply chain management of two indigenous companies (Gallagher and Dangote) from two continents. The research will adopt a qualitative method for collecting data and other relevant materials from involved parties and triangulation will be used for the analysis. This investigation could potentially identify similarities and difference in approach to sustainability, which could improve best practices for both companies. The report will highlight areas of advantage for both parties in line with current demand for business to be part of the solution to the problems surrounding people, planet, and profits. The work will conclude with a benchmark document for sustainability

Relationship dynamics in logistics

In recent years, a growing number of organisations have outsourced logistics services to logistics services providers (LSPs). To account for greater interconnection between organisations, supply chain relationship is crucial for achieving successful logistics outsourcing. Because organisations need to continuously change their decision-making in outsourcing, relationships among organisations in outsourcing are dynamic. Further, because logistics outsourcing has created more supply chain relationships (SCRs) among suppliers, LSPs, and customers, managers need to use a network perspective to manage multiple relationships in the process of outsourcing. The triadic relationship is recognised as the smallest network structure. As a result, the primary goal of this research is to study dynamics of supply chain relationships in logistics outsourcing from a view of triadic relationship. This relationship is called a logistics triad and consists of a supplier, a logistics service provider (LSP), and their common customer. The present research was carried out in two stages. The first stage collected triadic cases from LSPs. To improve validity and reliability, the second stage used a deductive process to test findings of the first stage by collecting triadic cases from suppliers and customers. Results of the comparison between the two stages provided verified research findings because the two stages exhibited close similarity. The research outcomes led to the identification of factors that influenced the relationship dynamics in logistics triads. Among these factors, the combined effects of purchasing volumes, resource capability, and focal firm can override influences from other factors to determine stability and dynamics of logistics triads. Overall, this research makes several major contributions to the knowledge of supply chain relationships: developing an integrative model of triadic relationship dynamics, identifying control approaches used by organisations to dominate triads, and demonstrating organisations' mediating effects on dyadic relationships within triads

The education and practice gap of accounting

Educators nowadays may equip students for jobs that will not exist in the future (Shusterman, 2015) or jobs that do not exist yet. Many students face confession after graduating from tertiary education. Not knowing what to expect, wondering if they can use what they learn from school at work (Elmes, 2017). This paper aims to gather the opinion of accounting students regarding what they think are the demanded skills to get an accounting job after the completion of education. After reviewing the literature, a questionnaire was produced and sent to students at a tertiary institute to gain their opinion. Results were then compared to the skills required in practice by employers when recruiting. The key findings this study obtained were that there is a gap between what soft skills students think is important for an accounting position compared to that of practitioners’ view as stated by other researchers. Results indicate there is little difference of required hard skills (accounting techniques) from view points of students and professionals. Further studies should be done with larger samples to generalise more widely. Recommendations are that tertiary schools can partner with local business and accounting firms to provide internship program for all accounting major students. Also students should communicate with other accounting students, possible seniors or past students to gain their thoughts on what is currently lacking in the school education