A Critical Approach to Developing Culturally Relevant Leadership Curricula for Muslim Students

The secular and materialistic values imported to Muslim countries through globalisation and the uncritical application of Western models and theories are changing societies from being Muslim towards a materialistic and secular one where economic value is the most critical factor that drives people’s behaviour and decisions. The real challenge for Muslim countries, then, is to develop and implement higher education curricula that reflect Islamic and cultural values while incorporating global knowledge developed by Western and other scholars. This chapter aims to achieve this balance by proposing a theoretical model that can be used for developing culturally relevant and critically reflective leadership curricula. The model is derived from Habermas’ account of critical theory and offers a critical and holistic approach to leadership teaching. It adopts an intercultural and interdisciplinary approach to learning and aims to start a dialogue between Western and indigenous sources of knowledge. The model also proposes the content and teaching practices recommended by leadership scholars and leadership development literature internationally to provide students with a balanced and pluralistic learning experience that addresses both the spiritual and the intellectual aspects of knowledge

Qur’anic Ethics for Environmental Responsibility: Implications for Business Practice

Despite the growing interest in examining the role of religious beliefs as a guide towards environmental conscious actions, there is still a lack of research informed by an analysis of divine messages. This deficiency includes the extent to which ethics for environmental responsibility are promoted within textual divine messages; types of environmental themes promoted within the text of divine messages; and implications of such religious environmental ethics for business practice. The present study attempts to fill this gap by conducting a thorough content analysis of environmental themes within the divine message of Muslims (the Qur’an) focusing on their related ethical aspects and business implications. The analysis has revealed 675 verses in 84 chapters throughout all 30 parts of the Qur’an, with environmental content relating to the core components of the natural world, i.e. human beings, water, air, land, plants, animals, and other natural resources. This environmental content and its related ethics are grounded on the belief that humans are vicegerents of God on the earth and their behaviours and actions are motivated by earthly and heavenly rewards. Implications of these findings for different sectors/businesses are also highlighted

Profil clinique et immunologique des patients infectés par le VIH à l’initiation du traitement antirétroviral à Douala

The aim of this study was to describe the clinical and immunological profile of patients infected with HIV after initiation of antiretroviral therapy. Sociodemographic characteristics, clinical and immunological patients were recorded. Chi square test and Mann-Whitney were used to compare variables. The multivariate regression model identified risk factors. So that, 936 (56.2%) patients were in stages III and IV of the WHO and 65.2% at an advanced stage of the disease. Factors associated with initiation at an advanced stage, were male sex (p = 0.007) and time to diagnosis (p = 0.005). In 2/3 cases, treatment is started at an advanced stage of disease. It is therefore important to intensify awareness campaigns for early detection and encourage patients to ensure regular medical follow-up screening.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

East Meets West: A Meta-Analytic Investigation of Cultural Variations in Idealism and Relativism

idealism, relativism, meta-analysis, systematic review, cross-cultural differences, international ethics,

Moral Philosophy, Materialism, and Consumer Ethics: An Exploratory Study in Indonesia

consumer ethics, ethical judgments, Indonesia, materialism, relativism, idealism, moral philosophies,

Individual and healthcare supply-related barriers to treatment initiation in HIV-positive patients enrolled in the Cameroonian antiretroviral treatment access programme

International audienceIncreasing demand for antiretroviral treatment (ART) together with a reduction in international funding during the last decade may jeopardize access to ART. Using data from a cross-sectional survey conducted in 2014 in 19 HIV services in the Centre and Littoral regions in Cameroon, we investigated the role of healthcare supply-related factors in time to ART initiation in HIV-positive patients eligible for ART at HIV diagnosis. HIV service profiles were built using cluster analysis. Factors associated with time to ART initiation were identified using a multilevel Cox model. The study population included 847 HIV-positive patients (women 72%, median age: 39 years). Median (interquartile range) time to ART initiation was 1.6 (0.5-4.3) months. Four HIV service profiles were identified: (1) small services with a limited staff practising partial task-shifting (n = 4); (2) experienced and well-equipped services practising task-shifting and involving HIV community-based organizations (n = 5); (3) small services with limited resources and activities (n = 6); (4) small services providing a large range of activities using task-shifting and involving HIV community-based organizations (n = 4). The multivariable model showed that HIV-positive patients over 39 years old [hazard ratio: 1.26 (95% confidence interval) (1.09-1.45), P = 0.002], those with disease symptoms [1.21 (1.04-1.41), P = 0.015] and those with hepatitis B co-infection [2.31 (1.15-4.66), P = 0.019] were all more likely to initiate ART early. However, patients in the first profile were less likely to initiate ART early [0.80 (0.65-0.99), P = 0.049] than those in the second profile, as were patients in the third profile [association only significant at the 10% level; 0.86 (0.72-1.02), P = 0.090]. Our findings provide a better understanding of the role played by healthcare supply-related factors in ART initiation. In HIV services with limited capacity, task-shifting and support from community-based organizations may improve treatment access. Additional funding is required to relieve healthcare supply-related barriers and achieve the goal of universal ART access