A study on the affects of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), inflation, unemployment and government expenditure on the economic growth in Malaysia / Nur Aien Aluwi

This study is undertaken to examine the affects of foreign direct investment (FDI), inflation, unemployment and government expenditure on the economic growth using time series data on Malaysia (for 31 years). The objective of this study is to identify whether those factors affectionate economic growth in Malaysia. All the data used are in annual basis range from the year 1975 until year 2005. The method used is Multiple Linear Regression Analysis in order to determine the relationship between the four variables. Thus, the major findings of this study indicate that foreign direct investment and government expenditure are two important variables associated with the economic growth in Malaysia. Meanwhile, inflation and unemployment had shown insignificant relationship with the economic growth. These findings suggest that government should take into account that those factors had given big impact in determining the economic growth in Malaysia and do take corrective actions towards achieving vision 2020

Midwifery Students' Experiences of their First Attendance in the Delivery Room

Introduction: Clinical education is a multidimensional and complex process with cognitive, emotional, and functional aspects. The first experience of clinical environment is the most important point of decision-making regarding the field of study as a future career path. Because of the enormous impact that the first experience of attendance in the delivery room might have on the students’ views regarding their future career and performance, the aim of this study was to describe the first experience of midwifery students in the delivery room. Method: This qualitative study was performed using a descriptive phenomenological approach in Iran. The subjects of the study consisted of 20 undergraduate midwifery students in their third or fourth semester. They were selected through purposive sampling method. Data were collected via individual tape-recorded interviews and focus group. Data were simultaneously analyzed using Colaizzi’s seven-step analysis method. Results: Through data analysis, 216 codes were extracted which were classified under 7 semantic codes. Then, the 2 main themes of transformation of previous beliefs and stress caused by delivery training were extracted from the experiences of the participants. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that the previous beliefs of the students underwent transformation on their first experience of attending the delivery room. Various factors influenced their first experience. According to the results of this study and other similar studies, and due to the stressful nature of this field of study, attempts to prepare students before entering the delivery room to reduce the stress experienced in their first attendance and promote clinical education are necessary. Keywords: Midwifery students, Experiences, Delivery roo

Potentials of ICT-based Business Initiatives for Enterprise Creation In Nigeria

Unemployment among school leavers and graduates of tertiary institutions have been a bane causing death of marketableskills and skills mismatch in Nigeria, besides restiveness and other social vices. Information and communicationtechnologies (ICTs) have been increasingly promoted as a key solution for comprehensive development, poverty alleviationand the empowerment of historically disadvantaged groups. ICT-based business initiatives have been hailed as “potentialgoldmines; hence the need for acquisition of functional and marketable skills, especially in ICT and related modern skills,becomes indisputably imperative. The benefits have far-reaching consequences for the economic and social development ofa country, as ICT businesses can foster new avenues for education, communication and information sharing; increasedproductivity and speed of work; improved accuracy as computers tend to make fewer mistakes than humans; fastercommunication; and savings in labour costs since fewer workers may be required. This paper, motivated by the potentiallypowerful role that ICTs can play in the empowerment of the unemployed, poor and underdeveloped individuals in Nigeria, isan attempt to suggest possible ICT initiatives that can be used to create self-sustainable enterprises and entrepreneurs. It isanticipated that the insights developed in this study would be useful both for purposes of policy formulation and effectiveprogramme- and self- development.Keywords - Enterprise Creation, Training, Skill-Acquisition, Seed-Money and Empowerment

Nurse's personal competences for disaster response: a qualitative study

Introduction: In recent years, the number of natural and man-made disasters has increased considerably around the world. Iran has a long history of disaster events. Because of nurses’ unique role as professional and volunteer responders in times of disaster, more information is required regarding the personal competencies they need in order to provide more effective disaster response. This paper presented the results of a study aimed to explore the required specific personal competencies of nurses in disaster response. Method: This study was part of a larger qualitative content analysis on nurses’ competencies in disaster response in 2012 in Iran. In the present study, 35 interviews were conducted with nurses who had recent experiences of providing care in a disaster situation. Purposeful sampling was performed and continued until data saturation. The data were collected through in-depth unstructured interviews and analyzed using a conventional content analysis approach. Results: Data analysis resulted in the identification of the main theme of “specific personal competencies” and its 4 subcategories of physical abilities, self-management, meta-competencies, and communication abilities. Conclusion: Considering the stress and biopsychospiritual pressure of disaster on nurses, personal competencies such as physical abilities, self-management, decision-making skills, speed in taking action, the ability to act independently, tolerance, critical thinking skills, and professional communication skills are necessary for nurses for effective disaster response. Our findings can be used as a guide for selecting nurses with appropriate personal abilities for effective disaster response and preparation of nurses for such circumstances. Keywords: Disaster nursing, Personal competences, Disaster response, Qualitative stud

A journey of transformation : A reflective recount of the evolution of AKES,P

This paper presents an overall picture of the evolution of the Aga Khan Education Service, Pakistan (AKES,P) over a century. Reaching out to the remotest areas of Pakistan, AKES,P, has been providing quality education for over a hundred years. The first school of AKES,P, was established in 1905 in Gwadar, Balochistan. Over a century later, AKES,P, now operates 179 schools and 5 hostels in Gilgit-Baltistan, Chitral, Punjab and Sindh, mostly in rural areas. These represent very diverse schools, ranging from a rural school with less than 30 children to a large urban school with over 3000 children. AKES,P, places special emphasis on improving educational practice; leadership and management in diverse and challenging settings; child-centred teaching methods; increasing use of ICT; female education; school-based teacher development; and working in partnership with the government and communities. The paper elucidates the institution’s journey since its inception, under five major themes, which include: Institutional Development, History of Teacher Development, Evolution of Teaching and Learning Practices, Creating a Child Friendly Environment, and Community Development

Factors contributing to paddy farmers' intention to participate in agriculture Takaful / Nurul Aien Abd Aziz

The agriculture sector is an economic sector that exposed to an array of risks such as climate change, pest's attack, disease and others. In its attempt to sustain and protect this sector, the Malaysian government in its 2013 budget has initiated a Takaful plan to help farmers reduce losses resulting from natural disasters. Hence, this research aims to investigate the relationships between Attitude, Subjective Norm, Perceived Behavioral Control, Perceived Risk, Knowledge and Intention to Participate in Agriculture Takaful. Apart from this, the research also aims to investigate the relationship of demographic characteristics which are Age, Size of paddy field, and Level of education and Level of income on the intention to participate in Agriculture Takaful. 336 respondents comprising paddy farmers in Kedah participated in this survey. Stratified random sampling technique was used to measure the Attitude, Subjective Norm, Perceived Behavior Control, Perceived Risk and Intention to participate in Agriculture Takaful.Pearson correlation was used to measure the relationship between the variables. The results indicated insignificant relationships between all the demographic variables and intention to participate in Agriculture Takaful. Furthermore, the findings also explained that Perceived Behavior Control, Perceived Risk and Attitude are the significant determinants that influenced paddy farmers' intention to participate in Agriculture Takaful. Findings from the study would be beneficial to Takaful operators, relevant government agencies and policy makers to promote an Agriculture Takaful plan for this sector

The role of CEOs in managing corporate reputation through communication leadership among the leading media government-linked companies

This paper forwards as a proposal to conduct a study that will explore and examine the role of CEOs as communication leaders among the leading media government-linked companies. All the other C-level executives who will be later identified as part of the top-level corporate communication team will be included. Their collective narratives are expected to yield ideas concerning how their respective corporate communication schemes are structured, managed and practiced. The main research question is: how does the role of the CEO influence or mediate in the relationship between communication leadership and corporate reputation strategies? By addressing this main question, new forms of knowledge can be derived. The most crucial among which is how the leading media government-linked companies are utilizing their media resources and C-level talents to promote corporate reputation. This of course is in view of their high vulnerability to strong institutional/political pressures. A qualitative research method is proposed because thick narrative data are needed in order to capture a robust understanding on C-level practices of reputation management through communication. Data collection will be made through face-to-face in-depth interviews. The voice-recorded interviews will be replayed, transcribed, organized and will undergo thematic analysis for pattern detection and theme generation. The main theory that will be used to interpret the findings and guide the analysis is institutional theory. This theory is pertinent in view of the structural preconditions that govern and give the leading media government-linked companies their legitimacy. A precedent study has used neo-institutional theories in explaining the interactions involved between the media, society and organizations in relation to CEO communication and positioning. After academic validation, the study aspires to make a significant contribution to the study of communication leadership. At this writing the amount of literature available on communication leadership in the context of Malaysian leading media government linked companies is relatively scant

Panorama de Tecnologías de bioenergía en Argentina

Se releva el panorama de la bioenergía en Argentina, y sus aplicaciones térmicas y eléctricas. Se analizan los avances en experiencias de acondicionamiento de biomasa sólida en forma de pellets, chips y carbón. Se mencionan algunos aprovechamientos energéticos mas destacables del país, que dan cuenta de la diversidad de recursos, pero aún señalan aspectos técnicos, tecnológicos y logísticos que deben ser resueltos. En particular, grandes emprendimientos cuentan con importación de tecnología y es escasa la producción nacional.Fil: Manrique, Silvina Magdalena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Investigaciones en Energía no Convencional. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Departamento de Física. Instituto de Investigaciones en Energía no Convencional; ArgentinaFil: Salvo, Aien Weni. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Investigaciones en Energía no Convencional. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Departamento de Física. Instituto de Investigaciones en Energía no Convencional; ArgentinaFil: Villafañe, Florencia. Gobierno de la Provincia de Jujuy. Ministerio de Ambiente; ArgentinaFil: Martín, José Nicolás. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto de Ambiente, Hábitat y Energía; ArgentinaFil: Honorato, Martín Omar. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Regional Patagonia Sur; Argentin