Land-use change and sustainability in the south-eastern oases of Morocco

The study apprehends modern versus traditional land-use changes in the Moroccan oases. The traditional local knowledge and land-use that ensured ecological equilibrium for centuries is decreasing. Modern entrepreneuship practices are increasing and have risky environmental impacts. By using the spatial and factor analyses, we confirm the spatial disparities in the region and distinguish four different groups of communes (in high mountain communes, traditional agriculture favors resources’ conservation; downstream communes experience greater changes and ecological ruptures). The recommendations of the study include the need to rethink adopted development models and elaborate new actions that respect local specificities, consider environmental equilibrium and rehabilitate local ecosystems

Las controversias de los actores y la gobernanza territorial en las cercanías del sur de Fez (Marruecos)

This article discusses the actors’ controversies on the suburban development in the southern vicinity of Fez (the commune of Ain Chkef, Morocco). These controversies are heavily affecting the local development and impose costly burdens in terms of impacts on local systems. They were analyzed in this article using a synthetic spatial methodology based on socio-spatial data and cartography by ArcGis. The role of terrestrial property on actors’ intense controversies in the area is discussed in terms of the opportunities it offers for investment and as conflicts’ factor between rights’ holders, operators and other developing actors. Controversies are sometimes linked to issues of land value, the development of activities (gentrification, activity zones and actors contesting positions), and to the location of major equipment or environmental resources. The governance and steering of local development under these conditions is complex, because the decision-maker should assimilate the actors’ needs and all influencing parameters in the suburbs, to develop the convergent governance suggested as a solution. It includes clear visions, a further knowledge of territorial stakes, the key factors of the territorial management and the causes and motivations of the actors’ controversies to find adapted solutions and answers to their questions. Convergent governance must be anticipative, communicative and able to create the actors’ convergences. Suburbs’ complex realities may therefore be best understood using the convergent governance approach with a further consideration of relationality and territoriality that integrate the local, regional and external contextual influencing factors.Este artículo analiza las controversias de los actores sobre el desarrollo suburbano en las cercanías del sur de Fez (la comuna de Ain Chkef, Marruecos). Estas controversias están afectando en gran medida el desarrollo local e imponen cargas costosas en términos de impactos en los sistemas locales. Se analizan en este artículo estas controversias utilizando una metodología espacial sintética basada en datos socio-espaciales y cartografía de ArcGis. El papel de la propiedad de la tierra en las intensas controversias de los actores en el área se discute en términos de las oportunidades que ofrece para la inversión y como un factor de conflicto entre los titulares de derechos, operadores y otros actores en desarrollo. Las controversias a veces están vinculadas a cuestiones relacionadas con el valor de la tierra, el desarrollo de actividades (gentrificación, zonas de actividad y actores que disputan puestos), y a la ubicación de equipos principales o recursos ambientales. La gobernanza y la dirección del desarrollo local en estas condiciones es compleja, ya que el tomador de decisiones debe asimilar las necesidades de los actores y todos los parámetros que influyen en los suburbios, para desarrollar la gobernanza convergente sugerida como una solución. Incluye visiones claras, un mayor conocimiento de los intereses territoriales, los factores clave de la gestión territorial y las causas y motivaciones de las controversias de los actores para encontrar soluciones y respuestas adaptadas a sus preguntas. La gobernanza convergente debe ser anticipativa, comunicativa y capaz de crear las convergencias de los actores. Por lo tanto, las realidades complejas de los suburbios pueden entenderse mejor utilizando el enfoque de gobernanza convergente con una consideración adicional de la relación y la territorialidad que integran los factores de influencia contextuales locales, regionales y externos

Scale’s impact in education system’s performance: Cases in Draa-Tafilalet, Morocco

This study aimed to apprehend the scale’s role in education planning and performance. The national scale approaches tend to neglect local specificities. The relevance of the provincial and local scales is underlined in Draa-Tafilalet region (Morocco). By comparing the provincial data and indicators to study the education system's efficiency, we argue that these are pertinent scales to further understanding the needs, causality and key parameters of education. Collected data is analyzed using the data envelopment analysis (DEA). Useful indicators to compare the spatial variability of the education system’s efficiency were produced and discussed at a provincial scale and interpreted considering the local socioeconomic characteristics in each province. The five provinces of the region (Errachidia, Ouarzazate, Tineghir, Midelt, Zagora, and Midelt) are considered as adapted decision-making unit (DMU) in the study. The results show the provincial scale is relevant to apprehend the education system’s performance. It is also important in education planning. The spatial differences in education efficiency at this scale show evidence of weak education impacts among rural populations in the recently created provinces such as Tineghir, Midelt, and Zagora. The criterion of education efficiency measured by DEA ranks Tineghir in the last position. This province needs special attention in planning and development

Perceived value of AI-based recommendations¿ service: the case of voice assistants

The application of artificial intelligence in services is continuously spreading. In particular, one of the most important recent trends is the development of virtual assistants, more particularly; voice assistants, which provide consumers with various services (e.g. information, music) and with product and service recommendations based on their preferences. There is a need to understand how valuable these recommendations are for consumers. This study contributes to the emerging body of research into consumers’ use of the recommendations that voice assistants make in three key ways: (1) by analysing the roles of the benefits (i.e. convenience, compatibility, personalisation) they derive and costs they expend (i.e. cognitive effort, intrusiveness) in the value creation process related to voice assistants’ recommendations; (2) by evaluating the effect of social presence (the key voice assistant feature) on perceived value of voice assistants’ recommendations, through the benefits and costs associated with voice assistants and (3) by determining how the perceived value of voice assistants’ recommendations affects consumer engagement. An online survey was used to collect data. Partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was employed to analyse the conceptual model. The core findings of the study are as follows. First, social presence enhances the benefits (especially personalisation) and reduces the costs (except for cognitive effort) associated with voice assistants. Second, personalisation was shown to be the strongest determinant of the perceived value of voice assistants’ recommendations, but their intrusiveness is a potential inhibitor in the way of increasing their value. Third, a positive relationship was observed between the perceived value of voice assistants’ recommendations and consumer engagement with the assistants

Quantification De L’erosion Hydrique En Utilisant Le Modèle Rusle Et Déposition Intégrée Dans Un Sig. Cas Du Bassin Versant De L’oued Isly (Maroc Oriental)

In Morocco, hydric erosion is the main factor in soil degradation. It is a dynamic and very complex phenomenon, linked to natural and anthropic factors that are difficult to control in time and space. Land degradation has visible impacts on the environment and hinders economic and social development. The consequences of erosion, both upstream and downstream of watersheds, are costly for the Moroccan economy. The Oued Isly watershed is an elongated mountan basin with an area of 1312km2. It is part of eastern Morocco. It is located in the south of Oujda city. Wadi Isly is characterized by irregular flow. Its flow increases during the winter and early spring. Extreme flows are recorded after exceptional and very intense rain in the Touissit and Guenfouda mountains. The watershed of Wadi Isly knows currently a very active erosive dynamic that affects all the slopes on both banks of the Oued Isly. Several factors contribute to the processes of soil degradation, such as climatic aggression and anthropogenic action. The objective of this study is to estimate soil losses at the Wadi Isly watershed by the application of the universal soil loss equation (USLE) and the use of GIS and Remote sensing. This study also aims to discuss the amplifying factors of the erosive phenomenon in this semi-arid environment

Existence of renormalized solutions for some degenerate and non-coercive elliptic equations

summary:This paper is devoted to the study of some nonlinear degenerated elliptic equations, whose prototype is given by \begin{aligned}t 2&-{\rm div}( b(|u|)|\nabla u|^{p-2}\nabla u) + d(|u|)|\nabla u|^{p} = f - {\rm div}(c(x)|u|^{\alpha }) &\quad &\mbox {in}\ \Omega ,\\ & u = 0 &\quad &\mbox {on}\ \partial \Omega , \end{aligned}t where $\Omega$ is a bounded open set of $\mathbb {R}^N$ ($N\geq 2$) with $1<p<N$ and $f \in L^{1}(\Omega ),$ under some growth conditions on the function $b(\cdot )$ and $d(\cdot ),$ where $c(\cdot )$ is assumed to be in $L^{\frac {N}{(p-1)}}(\Omega ).$ We show the existence of renormalized solutions for this non-coercive elliptic equation, also, some regularity results will be concluded

Las controversias de los actores y la gobernanza territorial en las cercanías del sur de Fez (Marruecos)

Este artículo analiza las controversias de los actores sobre el desarrollo suburbano en las cercanías del sur de Fez (la comuna de Ain Chkef, Marruecos). Estas controversias están afectando en gran medida el desarrollo local e imponen cargas costosas en términos de impactos en los sistemas locales. Se analizan en este artículo estas controversias utilizando una metodología espacial sintética basada en datos socio-espaciales y cartografía de ArcGis. El papel de la propiedad de la tierra en las intensas controversias de los actores en el área se discute en términos de las oportunidades que ofrece para la inversión y como un factor de conflicto entre los titulares de derechos, operadores y otros actores en desarrollo. Las controversias a veces están vinculadas a cuestiones relacionadas con el valor de la tierra, el desarrollo de actividades (gentrificación, zonas de actividad y actores que disputan puestos), y a la ubicación de equipos principales o recursos ambientales. La gobernanza y la dirección del desarrollo local en estas condiciones es compleja, ya que el tomador de decisiones debe asimilar las necesidades de los actores y todos los parámetros que influyen en los suburbios, para desarrollar la gobernanza convergente sugerida como una solución. Incluye visiones claras, un mayor conocimiento de los intereses territoriales, los factores clave de la gestión territorial y las causas y motivaciones de las controversias de los actores para encontrar soluciones y respuestas adaptadas a sus preguntas. La gobernanza convergente debe ser anticipativa, comunicativa y capaz de crear las convergencias de los actores. Por lo tanto, las realidades complejas de los suburbios pueden entenderse mejor utilizando el enfoque de gobernanza convergente con una consideración adicional de la relación y la territorialidad que integran los factores de influencia contextuales locales, regionales y externos

Effects of voice assistant recommendations on consumer behavior

The present study compares the influence of text-based recommendations; traditionally known as online consumer reviews, and the influence of voice-based recommendations provided by voice-driven virtual assistants on consumer behaviors. Based on media richness theory, the research model investigates how voice versus text modality influences consumers' perceptions of credibility and usefulness, as well as their behavioral intentions and actual behaviors. In addition, the study analyses if these relationships vary based on the type of product and compares the influence of masculine and feminine voices. Two studies were conducted using between-subjects experimental designs, partial least squares-structural equation modeling, and logistic regression. The core finding is that voice-based recommendations are more effective than online consumer reviews in altering consumer behaviors. In addition, the first study showed that the influence of recommendations on behavioral intentions is mediated by consumers' perceptions of their credibility and usefulness. The second study confirmed, in a realistic setting, that voice-based recommendations affect consumer choices to a greater extent. Recommendations for search products and provided by males are also found to be more effective. These results contribute to the voice assistant and e-WOM literature by highlighting the effectiveness of voice-based recommendations in predicting consumer behaviors, confirming that credibility and usefulness are key factors that determine the influence of recommendations, and showing that recommendations are more effective when they focus on search products

Internationalisation Des PME De La Région Fès Meknès (Maroc) : Cartographie Des Liens Et Tendances Actuelles

Globalization is not a recent phenomenon in the social sciences. The advocates argue that companies of all sizes are increasingly integrating into globalization processes. In Morocco, as in other countries, this phenomenon affects several aspects and manifests in several forms. In this paper, we analyze the impact on the mapping of links and the exchange of trade flows between firms in the Fez Meknes region (Morocco) and their foreign companies. The aim is to study the applicability of the concept of "psychic distance", particularly the importance of geographical, cultural, institutional and legislative distance in the choice of foreign partner companies