Welfare-to-Work Program Benefits and Costs: A Synthesis of Research

Most welfare programs seek to ensure that poor families have adequate income while at the same time encouraging self-sufficiency. Based on studies of 28 programs involving more than 100,000 sample members, this synthesis compares the costs, benefits, and returns on investment of six welfare program strategies -- from the perspectives of participants, government budgets, and society as a whole

Human Capital Development Strategies for the Tourism, Hospitality, and Leisure Industry

A shortage of skilled labor could cost the tourism, hospitality, and leisure industry (THL) a loss of $610 billion and 14 million jobs by 2024. The literature contains the contributions of specialist THL institutions but not that of the industry leaders to ameliorating this human capital (HC) challenge. The purpose of this multicase study was to explore the HC productivity strategies used by THL business leaders in Nigeria that improved employee productivity despite the lack of specialist THL institutions. The human capital theory (HCT) was the conceptual framework of the study. Coding of data derived from semistructured interviews with 3 THL industry leaders followed the modified Stevick-Colaizzi-Keen method. Triangulation of the interview data, site observations and company documents resulted in 5 strategy themes. The study indicated that recruiting persons with essential social capital, inducting them into high ethical standards, providing in-house training, motivating with reward and recognition, and adoption of affordable technologies are key industry strategies for THL HC development. The study findings can be adopted into THL organizations human resource management strategies and as input for training managers in the THL industry. The results of this study may contribute to social change by keeping more people gainfully engaged, increasing the dignity and prosperity of THL employees and their families, and reducing the undesirable effects of unemployment such as the high crime rate in southern Nigeria

Simplifying Cyber Security Maturity Models through National Culture: A Fuzzy Logic Approach

Different assessment models exist to measure a country's cyber security maturity levels. These levels serve as a benchmark for indicating how well prepared a nation is against a cyber security attack and how resilient it would be in recovering from such an attack. However, results from these maturity assessments are either too general, overly complex, or resource intensive to apply and guide important national cyber security strategies and frameworks. To address this we propose a model to link national culture with a country's cyber security maturity through fuzzy logic mapping to ensure that a more uniform reflection of the cyber security maturity level within a country can be measured. In this paper, we present additional research towards optimising our model. The extended model incorporates input from two cyber security assessment models, and validates the refined output models on 11 countries to compare the maturity levels from the traditional assessment model with our optimised fuzzy model. Our results show that it is viable to reduce the resources required to conduct a national cyber security maturity assessment

Diversity Towards the Human Capital Development and Staff Job Satisfaction in Tertiary Institutions in Kogi State

This study aimed at Human Capital Development (HCD) and Job Satisfaction (JS) in public tertiary institutions in Kogi State. The study applied a descriptive research survey. The sampling method used in this study was a multi-stage sampling technique. A sample size of 123 was chosen. The quantitative data obtained from respondents using a questionnaire were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson Correlation Matrix and Ordered Probit Regression. Findings showed a statistically significant and positive relationship between HCD and Staff Job Security in Public Tertiary Institutions in Kogi State and that HCD significantly affects the JS of Staff in higher institutions in Kogi State. The study concluded that through HCD, Public Tertiary Institutions could enhance JS. The study recommended that the management of Public Tertiary Institutions should increase investment in HCD to facilitate improved job security of staff in Kogi State. The government should also provide adequate funding support to adopt best practices in HCD in Public Tertiary Institutions in Kogi State. Furthermore, the management should adopt any strategic measure to increase commitment to HCD as it positively affects the JS of Staff in higher institutions in Kogi State

User-Centred Design Methods, Time to Market and Minimum Viable Product in Startup Development Practices

This study aimed to answer the question whether time to market and competition pressure are important issues for new companies with a software products and whether they affect the development process and decision-making regarding releasing or the product. The study is based on the literature data and interviews with six technology startup companies. It investigated how the concept of minimum viable product is used by the companies for testing the product-market fit and how they apply principles of user-centred design for providing a good user experience of their products. I found that innovative products helped the companies escape direct competition. The development cycle was mostly defined by the industry standards and concrete customer needs rather than the competition pressure. User-centred design practices are widely implemented by the startups, but they are not always complete. In today's software market, the experience that the customers are provided with new products seems to be more important for the startups than formalisation of the development process and the product's time to market

The limits of HCD:reimagining the anthropocentricity of ISO 9241-210

Human-centred design (HCD) is just that: human-centred. As we approach the limits of Earth's biophysical systems, it no longer feels appropriate to place humans at the centre of design decisions. Yet HCD and its ISO—ISO-9241-210:2010—continue to be powerful and popular tools within many computing and design departments, as well as in their affiliated industries. These design approaches are perpetuating the trend of incremental improvements to the living standards of the already privileged and digitally connected whilst ignoring the broader environmental and socio-political effects of digital technologies. In this paper, we attempt to reimagine HCD and its ISO by drawing on fields and concepts such as sustainable interaction design (SID), animal-computer interaction (ACI), and object oriented ontology (OOO). Through this, we contribute a preliminary set of proposals about what needs to change with HCD and its ISO. We close by discussing the ISO development process and suggesting routes for environmentally concerned researchers to influence the evolution of HCD's ISO

Evaluation of FAO’s support to the implementation of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries

The Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (CCRF), generated out of the preparations for and conduct of the 1992 United Nations Conference for Environment and Development, was adopted by FAO Members on 31 October 1995. In the Resolution adopting the Code, FAO member countries (MCs) also requested that FAO Secretariat provided support to those among them, that most required assistance for making progress in the implementation of the Code

The limits of HCD : reimagining the anthropocentricity of ISO 9241-210

Human-centred design (HCD) is just that: human-centred. As we approach the limits of Earth's biophysical systems, it no longer feels appropriate to place humans at the centre of design decisions. Yet HCD and its ISO—ISO-9241-210:2010—continue to be powerful and popular tools within many computing and design departments, as well as in their affiliated industries. These design approaches are perpetuating the trend of incremental improvements to the living standards of the already privileged and digitally connected whilst ignoring the broader environmental and socio-political effects of digital technologies. In this paper, we attempt to reimagine HCD and its ISO by drawing on fields and concepts such as sustainable interaction design (SID), animal-computer interaction (ACI), and object oriented ontology (OOO). Through this, we contribute a preliminary set of proposals about what needs to change with HCD and its ISO. We close by discussing the ISO development process and suggesting routes for environmentally concerned researchers to influence the evolution of HCD's ISO