BUILDING AN EVALUATION FRAMEWORK OF ENVIRONMENTAL INTERPRETATION FOR CHINESE GEOPARKS---CASE STUDY OF YUNTAISHAN WORLD GEOPARK

Environmental interpretation is a key tool for integrated management of tourism, with potential for greater use in managing visitor numbers, behavior and impacts, and enhancing experience. Evaluation is necessary to determine whether interpretation is achieving its goals. It is vital for park managers to know if their management is effective in order to determine what techniques can be used to address a particular problem. The study first introduces the background of Geoparks, and clarifies the definition of environmental interpretation. Next, the study identifies the context that a comprehensive evaluation framework for environmental interpretation in Geoparks is used in order to help Geopark managers to institute the continuous improvement of environmental interpretation. The detailed objectives include: 1.To build an evaluation indicator framework that can be used by Geoparks to evaluate environmental interpretation; 2.To use the evaluation indicator framework to study Yuntaishan World Geopark; 3. To use the data provided by Yuntaishan World Geopark to identify the perceptions of the visitors; 4. To use the data provided by Yuntaishan World Geopark to identify the perceptions of experts and peers

Sustainable Smart Cities and Smart Villages Research

ca. 200 words; this text will present the book in all promotional forms (e.g. flyers). Please describe the book in straightforward and consumer-friendly terms. [There is ever more research on smart cities and new interdisciplinary approaches proposed on the study of smart cities. At the same time, problems pertinent to communities inhabiting rural areas are being addressed, as part of discussions in contigious fields of research, be it environmental studies, sociology, or agriculture. Even if rural areas and countryside communities have previously been a subject of concern for robust policy frameworks, such as the European Union’s Cohesion Policy and Common Agricultural Policy Arguably, the concept of ‘the village’ has been largely absent in the debate. As a result, when advances in sophisticated information and communication technology (ICT) led to the emergence of a rich body of research on smart cities, the application and usability of ICT in the context of a village has remained underdiscussed in the literature. Against this backdrop, this volume delivers on four objectives. It delineates the conceptual boundaries of the concept of ‘smart village’. It highlights in which ways ‘smart village’ is distinct from ‘smart city’. It examines in which ways smart cities research can enrich smart villages research. It sheds light on the smart village research agenda as it unfolds in European and global contexts.

Prosperity

A ‘moderately prosperous society’ with no Chinese individual left behind—that’s the vision for China set out by Chinese President Xi Jinping in a number of important speeches in 2017. ‘Moderate’ prosperity may seem like a modest goal for a country with more billionaires (609 at last count) than the US. But the ‘China Story’ is a complex one. The China Story Yearbook 2017: Prosperity surveys the important events, pronouncements, and personalitites that defined 2017. It also presents a range of perspectives, from the global to the individual, the official to the unofficial, from mainland China to Hong Kong and Taiwan. Together, the stories present a richly textured portrait of a nation that in just forty years has lifted itself from universal poverty to (unequally distributed) wealth, changing itself and the world in the process

Adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards and Market Performance of Listed Banks in Nigeria

Abstract. The objective of this study is to examine the effect of the adoption of IFRS on the market performance of banks in Nigeria. Secondary data were acquired from the financial statement of 15 money deposit banks listed on floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) while regression and paired sample test analyses were used to determine the association between the adoption of IFRS and the market performance of listed money deposit Banks in Nigeria. The study found a positive and significant relationship between the adoption of IFRS and the market performance of listed money deposit banks in Nigeria proxy by Dividend pay-out (DPO) and Dividend Yield (DY). Furthermore, the paired sample test result indicates a significant difference exists between Dividend pay-out (DPO) and the adoption of IFRS while no significant difference exists between Dividend Yield (DY) and the adoption of IFRS. Thus, the study recommends that the global adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards particularly in developing economies like Nigeria should be properly implemented and studied, so as to keep abreast with the various changes the would likely affect the market performance of the Nigerian Banking industry

Firm Characteristics and Corporate Social Responsibility Practices in Nigerian Listed Firms: An Empirical Investigation

In recent past, Corporate Social Responsibility has been a fundamental subject of discussion in academic literatures because of its vital contribution to sustainable development. In line with this assertion, this study assessed the corporate social responsibility (CSR) performances of listed companies on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE). A cross-sectional research design was adopted for the study and secondary data compiled from the annual reports of those companies were used for the analysis. The study employed multiple regression estimation technique to analyse the CSR ratings of sixteen (16) companies used as the basis of investigation. The study found that while market capitalization had a positive significant relationship with corporate social responsibility practice, period of existence on the listing of Nigerian Stock Exchange had a negative relationship. Also, the industrial goods sector had a positive significant relationship with CSR practice while the oil and gas sector had a significant negative relationship. It is therefore recommended that activist groups, NGOs and community leaders should be more dynamic to challenge organizations to do more for their communitie

Impact of Ethics on the Conduct of Professional Accountants in Nigeria

High profile corporate collapses and fraud with which accountants are said to have been associated with has given rise to the questioning of the integrity of the professional accountants. This systemic failure has brought into focus issues of long standing debate with respect to how to curb this act and regain the confidence of the public in the professional accountants and the professional accountancy bodies at large. The study examined the impact of code of ethics on the conduct of professional accountants in Nigeria. Regression Analysis, Correlation Technique and Ttest were employed in analyzing the data collected. The results revealed that the fundamental principles of ethics have a significant impact on the positive conduct of professional accountants. It further revealed that there is no difference in the various opinions of stakeholders with respect to the impact of the code of ethics. It is therefore recommended that early stage teaching of ethics in all schools and continuous improvements taking into consideration changes in time, based on the current trend should be encouraged. There should also be a program in place to effectively monitor the adherence level of accountant

Global News Coverage on Victimization and Challenges of Roma Migrants from Romania: An Experiential Study

The issue of Roma migrants from Romania has generated debate and discussion among media experts, scholars and policy analysts across the globe. The socio-cultural implications of this issue have triggered an increase of reports and commentaries on international news television outlets across the globe. Interestingly, there have been various qualitative and quantitative studies on social mobility of migrants in Europe. However, there is paucity of research investigations on communication perspectives on the issue of victimization and challenges of Roma migrants from Romania. Thus, the need to generate empirical evidences on the rise and fall of media report on the experiences, motivations, and ambitions of Roma migrants from Romania is critical, considering the fact that the dramatic increase of Roma migrants in Western Europe is alarming. This study examined global news coverage on socio-cultural issues of Roma migrants from Romania, using Youtube videos as examples. Furthermore, this study examined the audience mindset on global news coverage of Roma migrants. The method adopted was content analysis and 12 news videos of three selected global TV outlets were analyzed; British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Cable News Network (CNN) and Aljazeera. The timeline adopted for the analysis was between June 2014 and March 2016 to achieve the objectives of the study. Also, four research questions were raised and adequately answered in this study. From the findings of the study, three predominant sociocultural challenges affecting the Roma migrants were identified and discussed, which are ethnic marginalization, structural poverty and racial bias. It was recommended that non-government agencies and concerned bodies should work hand-in-hand to provide structures for skill acquisition and human capital inclusion. Furthermore, the EU should reinforce its benefit systems for Migrants as well as partne