Role of Strategic Alliance as an Instrument for Rapid Growth, by the Afghan Firms

Currently in Afghanistan businesses are often constrained by the small domestic market, remoteness from major markets and access to capital, all of these elements serve as barriers to growth. Consequently Afghanistan has a high percentage of small to medium enterprises (SMEs’) that remain small and fail to realize their growth potential.The key elements of today’s business strategies are alliances to compete for a market leadership position. This study narrates the role of strategic alliances as an instrument for rapid growth by Afghanistan based service/construction firms. This study examines the experiences of a small number of such firms in relation to their role of strategic alliances. By recognizing concepts that positively or adversely affect the likelihood of success of such alliances it is hope that future firms within Afghanistan can benefit from thesis findings when developing their own growth strategies.The qualitative technique of semi-structured in depth interviews was used to gather primary data in response to the research questions. This research shows that the key contributor to the success for failure of alliances is whether all the parties will benefit equitable from the venture and the relative strategic importance of the alliance to the stakeholder. A new finding of special relevance to Afghanistan business is that being construction and is crucial to attracting the best alliance partners. Strategic alliances are not a panacea for every firm and at every situation. However through strategic alliances, firms can improve their competitive positioning, gain entry to new markets, increment critical skills, and share/ the risk and cost of major development projects. This research highlights the benefits of taking a long term strategic approach to the formation of alliances. The research approach was to carry out a literature review of the wider topic and postulate a conceptual framework which identifies a number of concepts that are likely to affect success. Keywords: Strategic Alliance, Joint Ventures, Uncertainty, Partnership

Rural Egypt and the public sphere: the effect of social media and the new media environment on political interaction, 2011-2015.

A large body of academic research has developed regarding the prevalence of social media in society, and its impact. Previous research has delved into this topic from the perspective of psychology, business administration, sociology, politics, law, and media communication studies. One common thread among many that can be found in a large number of these academic endeavours is the attempt to evaluate the manner in which social media impacts norms, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours. This thesis investigates this same topic through an analysis of rural citizens in Egypt in the period between 2011 and 2015. The main topic addressed in this thesis is the impact of the new media environment, specifically the synergy between social media and satellite television, on the public sphere and political interactions of rural Egypt, with the aim of assessing the role social media played in the neglected areas of Egypt during the 2011 uprisings. To do this, this thesis addresses (i) the effect of social capital on the political interaction of citizens in the public sphere with a consideration of social media access, (ii) how social media changed individual norms of political interaction within the public sphere of rural Egypt during and after 2011 due to convergence with television media, and (iii) how media coverage of the uprisings impacted micro public spheres and sentiments of empowerment and social capital in rural Egypt. It is found that rural Egypt contributed significantly to the 2011 uprisings, and their 2013 counterparts. Social capital among the rural population is shown to have had a marked effect on the development of the 2011 uprisings, as well as their success. Through primary research and supporting data, it is shown that there were four distinct stages of media use during the period of the 2011 uprisings that, when analysed, highlight that social media could not have been the primary determinant of the uprisings and their aftermath. While social media did play a role, it was not the driving factor behind the uprisings. Issues such as economic, linguistic, and infrastructural barriers prevented social media penetration from being significant enough to be the driving force it has been considered by some academics. Moreover, the state’s decision to cut Internet access early on in the timeline of the uprisings highlight that other factors were at play. Finally, the four stages of media contribution bring to light the expansion of rural Egypt’s social capital during this time, and show that this played a stronger role than had been previously thought when evaluating the 2011 uprisings. As such, other factors - social capital, interaction norms, and the public sphere - are evaluated given the findings on social media’s role

Accessibility analysis of higher education institution websites of Portugal

The higher education institutions across the globe are steadily increasing their usage of the web platforms to disseminate information to its stakeholders. In this background, it becomes important to make these resources inclusive. An inclusive website of a higher education institution will facilitate seamless access to its resources for Persons with Disabilities (PwDs). This paper presents an accessibility analysis of 59 higher education websites of Portugal. Both Polytechnic (19) and University (40) websites were incorporated into the study.The accessibility analysis is carried out with three major tools: AChecker, WAVE, and aXe. With respect to the AChecker tool, the average of known problems was observed almost doubled in Universities than Polytechnic Institution websites of Portugal under all levels of conformance. With respect to WAVE tool, we found that the average of alerts, structural elements, and HTML5 & ARIA in terms of web accessibility status of websites of Polytechnic Institutes are less than the Universities, but contrast errors are found with more frequency in Polytechnic Institutes than in universities, and the average of errors and features are almost the same in both of the cases. Also, we found that the average number of violations and needs of review guidelines as per aXe tool are 50.84 and 21.47 in Polytechnic Institutes? websites and 30.75 and 27.83 in Universities websites belonging to Portugal, respectively. Based on scores obtained by these accessibility analysis tools, the outliers of accessibility violations are calculated with respect to websites of Polytechnic Institutes and Universities of Portugal. Moreover, we also suggested and discussed the important clues to solve the accessibility violations of websites along with their issue descriptions among the selected websites in this study. Hence, this analysis report provides the feedback to website administrator and web developers to improve the accessibility evaluation status of these websites.5311-8814-F0ED | Sara Maria da Cruz Maia de Oliveira PaivaN/

Measuring competitiveness of food processing industry in Malaysia

This paper investigates the measuring competitiveness on the levels of competition for various productions of food products in Malaysia. The study is undertaken using the concept of comparative advantage. In the context of competitiveness of the Malaysian food processing industry the evaluation of comparative advantage has been undertaken. In order to penetrate a wider range of foreign markets, Malaysian food processors have to identify food sectors that are internationally competitive and could withstand internal and external shocks. The Malaysian competitiveness level was determined using the Domestic Resource Cost (DRC) and Social Cost Benefit (SCB) indicators. Twenty food sectors were assessed using the Malaysian food production and trade data from 2000 to 2008. The results indicate that in the post crisis period, Malaysia enjoys an above average level of comparative advantage in the production of twenty foods product in 2008. As expected, Malaysia has a comparative advantage in the food production

Association of Endothelin-I and A symmetric Dimethylarginine Levels with Insulin Resistance in Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients

ببتيد الاندوثلين يعد واحداً من اقوى قابضات الاوعية التى تفرز من خلايا بطانة الاوعية الدموية عند حاجة الخلية اليها. كما اشارت العديد من الدراسات الى ارتفاع مستوى ببتيد الاندوثلين بدرجة كبيرة لدى مرضى السكرى من النوع الثانى ومرحلة مقاومة الانسولين مما دفع الى الاعتقاد بوجود علاقة وطيدة بين ارتفاع هذا الببتيد وبين تفاقم ومضاعفات مرض السكرى والتى تتمثل بمخاطر الجلطات و الامراض القلبية ومشاكل الكلى والعيون والقدم السكرية. بما ان مقاومة الانسولين تعد حالة خاصة وهى خليط من مرض السكرى قبل وبعد الاصابة به مع تطور المضاعفات المصاحبه للمرض فأن عوامل الخطورة المتضمنة وراء الحالة دفعتنا الى ايجاد علاقة مباشرة بين ببتيد الاندوثيلين ومقاومة الانسولين من جهة وبين الاندوثلين و ادما ADMA مع مقاومة الانسولين من جهة اخرى. لهاذا الغرض اخذت 73 عينة دم لاشخاص تتراوح اعمارهم بين 40-60 (35 منهم اصحاء وغير مصابين بأى من الامراض المزمنة والكتلة الجسمية لديهم اقل من 25 و 38 منهم مصابين بمرض السكرى والكتلة الجسمية لديهم اكبر من 30) وتم قياس كل من الإندوثلين٬ اليوروتينسن٬  الأنسولين٬ وثنائي ميثيل أرجينين غير المتماثل٬ وغيرها من القياسات, كما وتم اجراء العديد من الفحوصات المختبرية لتاكيد كل حالة وعلاقتها بالسكرى. كما لوحظ ارتفاع مستوى كل من الإندوثلين وثنائي ميثيل أرجينين غير المتماثل فى مرضى السكري كما أن النتائج الإحصائية أشارت إلى وجود علاقة بين الإندوثلين و يوروتينسين٬ وتقييم نموذج التماثل الساكن لمقاومة الأنسولين (HOMA-IR)٬ ومعدل السكر التراكمى٬ وأن ثنائي ميثيل أرجينين غير المتماثل والإندوثلين يمكن اعتبارهم دلالات لمقاومات الأنسولين ودلالات لأمراض القلب. أما بالنسبة لتحليل الانحدار المتعدد فأن كل من نموذج التماثل الساكن لمقاومة الأنسولين ٬ والسكر التراكمى٬ واليوروتينسين٬  ومعدل الضغط الشريانى ترتفع بارتفاع مستوى الإندوثلين بطريقة غير مباشرة. نستنتج من البحث وجود علاقة طردية بين زيادة الإندوثلين وثنائي ميثيل أرجينين غير المتماثل مع مقاومة الأنسولين. ويمكن الاستفادة من هذه العلاقة لايجاد آليات وهيكلة تطور مرض السكري إلى أمراض القلب وغيرها من الأمراض المزمنة. Endothelin-I (ET-I) is one of the potent vasoconstrictors secreted from endothelial cells when needed. Many studies revealed the elevation of serum ET-I with human diabetes and microangiopathies. Since insulin resistance is a case of mixed diabetic and pre-diabetic cases, many risk factors beyond obesity and inflammation are proposed. The current study aims to demonstrate the association between serum ET-I and asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) and insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Sera of 73 subjects were enrolled currently (control= 35 subjects, and 38 with T2DM for more than 7 years), aged (40-60) years old, with distinct body mass index (BMI) ≤ 25 for control volunteers and (BMI) ≥ 25 for obesity and diabetes patients. Peripheral serum ET-I and ADMA levels were significantly (P≤ 0.0001) higher in T2DM than the control subjects. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis regarded ET-I and ADMA as good markers for T2DM disease and insulin resistance, correlations between ET-I and anthropometrics revealed a strong increase of urotensin-II (UII), ADMA, homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C) with an increase of ET-I. These results are supported by the data of multiple regression analysis, showing that HOMA-IR, HbA1C, UII, BMI, and mean arterial pressure (MAP) are related to ET-I independently. The endothelin-I and ADMA had a positive relationship with increase insulin resistance and may serve as prognostic and diagnostic clinical biomarkers of insulin resistance. Collectively, Therefore, these measurements could evaluate the incidence of DM, and help to better rise up the knowledge about the progression of DM complications

An automated building information modelling-based compliance checking system for Malaysian building by-laws fire regulations

The implementation of Building Information Modelling (BIM) in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry has significantly amplified the responsibility of designers in creating reliable and accurate BIM models. Fundamentally, the BIM models must comply with the fire safety regulations to provide minimum protection for building occupants and property. Since fire safety regulations are known to be complex and rigid, the manual compliance checking process could lead to inaccuracies, especially in a BIM-based environment. Hence, this study developed an automated BIM-based fire regulations compliance checking system for Malaysian’s AEC industry. In order to establish the rules and BIM properties necessary for fire regulations compliance checking process, 256 clauses from Parts VII and VIII of Selangor Uniform Building (Amendment) (No. 2) By-Laws 2012 were selected to create a BIM model using Revit® based on two-dimensional drawings of a completed 17-storey institutional building. Three investigations were conducted to structure the representation of the rules and BIM properties. First, the fire safety clauses were formalised through a classification technique, semantic mark-up requirement, applicability, selection, exception (RASE) methodology, and interviewing two fire engineers and a representative from the Fire and Rescue Department Malaysia (JBPM). Secondly, the BIM properties consisting of 54 families and their respective parameters in Revit® were identified for the compliance checking process. Lastly, pseudocodes and architecture of the automated system were developed to establish the relationship between the formalised clauses and BIM properties. Dynamo® scripts were used to develop a prototype of an automated fire regulations compliance checking system which could automatically check for fire doors and staircases in Revit®. The representative from JBPM, three fire engineers and architect validated the proposed architecture while the prototype was validated by three architects, two structural engineers, one mechanical engineer, and two civil engineers. This study contributed to a semi-automated rule translation process which combined existing approaches in this field of study. The classification technique and semantic mark-up RASE methodology were refined in this research by developing flowcharts to provide specific guidelines in formalising the clauses. The semi-automated rule translation process encouraged the participation of relevant fire safety experts and provided more accessibility for designers compared to existing studies. This study also offered more practicality for designers to employ the system by utilising native BIM model data representation. High mean scores ranging from 4.00 to 4.96 were obtained for the validation process, which affirmed the feasibility of an automated BIM-based fire regulations compliance checking system to assist designers in the Malaysian AEC industry

Study of Foods Declared as GMO Free in the Market of Republic of Kosovo

In this study, several samples from two different producers that are present in the Kosovo market and which are declared as GMO free are analyzed, the method of analysis is Agrastrip® GMO - Romer labs®. Samples were taken on a random basis in the market and the focus of the study were two products (corn and soy). As this problem is relatively new in the Republic of Kosovo, some theoretical and practical issues will be addressed by referring to the researchers in this field: what are GMOs and why GM foods are produced, the distinction to be made (myths and facts, socio-economic aspects), side effects (environment and health), bees as being of being dependent on existence and life (especially in food, relationship with GMOs)

Women Volunteerism for Protecting Watershed Ecosystem in Langat Basin

Forested watershed provides abundant ecosystem services for water users including catchment area protection, flood regulation, provisioning of clean drinking water and climate regulation. However, the value of ecosystem services only partially takes into account by policy makers and indirectly cause overexploitation of natural resources. This study observes the economic role of women in protecting watershed ecosystem by calculating willingness to pay (WTP). Langat Basin is an imperative watershed that supplying fresh water source and other necessities to approximately 1.2 million people within the catchment area. Langat Basin has getting the effect of hasty growth through industrialization and land development actions. Women within Langat Basin has been selected through face to face interview for measure willingness to pay (WTP) towards ecosystem protection. Single Bounded Dichotomous Choice technique in Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) is engaged to calculate WTP of women. Willingness to pay of women in upstream is RM184.28, followed by women in middle stream is RM168.60 and lastly WTP of women in downstream is RM190.16. The willingness to pay women shows that women has potential to be part of ecosystem protection and signal to policy makers to include women in decision making process especially for environmental perspective