An Island Study Abroad Program and Its Impact on the Intercultural Sensitivity and Cross-Cultural Adaptability of Its Participants: Perspectives from a Research Intensive University

Globalization touches every sphere of our modern lives, and it has become more critical than ever that today\u27s generation gains an understanding of other cultures and develops the ability to adapt to ever-changing environments. One important way that higher education has attempted to prepare students for these challenges is to offer study abroad programs, in which students are given the opportunity for educational experiences in other countries. Traditionally, study abroad programs have involved immersion in the host culture, with particular emphasis on using and learning the native language. However, other types of program designed to make the experience of living in another country less intense for students have become more popular in recent years. One of these, the so-called island study abroad program, provides students with little or no foreign language skill the opportunity to study, travel and live together in the host country, without the immersion that has been integral to other programs. While there is much anecdotal evidence that the island model programs have a positive effect on students, there exists a dearth of studies that have systematically and objectively assessed the impact of such programs on students\u27 intercultural sensitivity and cross-cultural adaptability. To be certain, there are important works that have measured the effects of study abroad on students\u27 cultural growth, such as Hammer\u27s Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) (2007), based on Bennett\u27s Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (DMIS) (1986, 1993), and Kelley and Meyer\u27s Cross-Cultural Adaptability Skills Inventory (CCAI) (1995). By using the scales developed in these instruments, the present study has attempted to extend the research by examining more specifically the impact of a semester-long island study abroad program on the development of critical sensitivity and adaptability skills relating to other cultures. Indeed, the findings indicate that the island model program has a positive impact on students, to the point that students who studied abroad exhibited a greater change in intercultural sensitivity and cross-cultural adaptability by the end of the semester than did students who remained at the home campus, and further, the results of this study have laid the groundwork for future research in this area

Use of the Electronic Health Record in Private Medical Practices

The purpose of this study is to examine the use of the electronic health record (EHR) by physicians in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Five research questions were designed to inquire about the physician practice characteristics and its relationship to the EHR deployment, the importance of educational intervention in the EHR adoption, and the physician\u27s belief if the EHR contributes to improvements in the quality of patient care and practice productivity and profitability. A survey of The Use of Electronic Health Records by Medical Practices was used to collect 169 physician responses from the two counties. This survey was divided into six sections: practice characteristics, health information technology, computers and health care, financial considerations, the office practice environment and personal characteristics for a total of 27 questions. These were designed to inquire about the current status of the practice, availability of the electronic health record or its components, current use of information technology, practice and physician perspective about the EHR and information technology and personal demographical questions. This survey was adopted in a modified format from the original article, Correlates of Electronic Health Record Adoption in Office Practices: A Statewide Survey, written by Dr. Steven R. Simon, MD et al, and conducted in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The responses were statistically analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS v. 16) Software. Results of the survey questions show that there is a correlation with having an EHR system and its effect on a practice, leading to improvements in the quality of patient care, and an increase in practice productivity and profitability. In spite of findings such as this, the adoption of EHR in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties is relatively low because of a lack of financial investment in the technology driven by the physician perception that EHR does not add to their personal income. These results show that an opportunity exists to educate physicians on the EHR to point out its contribution to improving the quality of patient care, as well as positively affecting their financial well being. It also indicated the necessity of developing industry-wide common EHR technology adoption initiatives and protocols in order to increase the implementation of EHR in physician offices

DIRECT EFFECT ANALYSIS OF ONLINE INTEGRATED BANKING SYSTEM IMPLEMENTATION ON CUSTOMER SATISFACTION AND COMPLIANCE OF SUMUT BANK

This study investigates the influence of the OLIBs management information system implementation in PT Bank Sumut Pematang Siantar Branch's banking services on customer satisfaction, loyalty, and compliance. Employing quantitative analysis via Smart PLS, collected data was assessed. Outcomes highlight a significant positive impact of OLIBs on customer satisfaction, loyalty, and compliance. Smart PLS analysis establishes notable connections between OLIBs-related factors (service quality, accessibility, personalization, data security) and customer-oriented aspects. The study suggests that embracing OLIBs can amplify customer satisfaction, loyalty, and compliance. Implications extend to PT Bank Sumut Pematang Siantar Branch and other financial entities, providing insights to refine strategies, uphold robust relationships, and ensure compliance, ultimately enhancing overall customer experiences

Electrochemical Assessment of Alumina-TiC Composite: A Potential Biomaterial

Ceramic and ceramic composites are gaining popularity over their metallic counterparts for orthopedic applications. Metallic biomaterials, like titanium alloys and CoCrMo alloy, exhibit good performance under concentrated loads but there have been plenty cases of implant failure due to release of metallic debris causing osteolysis. The wear debris release is caused by mechanically assisted electrochemical degradation of contacting surfaces at the joint. Ceramic based biomaterials have shown to exhibit superior wear performance, but they are prone to brittle fracture. Hence modern ceramic materials are reinforced with oxides, nitride and carbides too improve fracture resistance. However, nitrides and carbides reinforcement impart electrochemical activity to ceramic composite and facilitate electron transfer processes and participate in electrochemical interaction with aqueous environment. The electrochemical behavior of ceramic composites with electrochemically active reinforcement needs to be evaluated to account for any undesirable electrochemical activity for invivo applications. This research presents, a detailed investigation of electrochemical behavior of alumina-titanium Carbide (TiC) composite and valuable insights into the potential use of alumina-TiC as a biomaterial. A systematic analysis of electrochemical behavior under mechanical perturbation like abrasive wear was performed and related degradation mechanism was uncovered with combination of quantitative and qualitative methods. For a better understanding of the reaction mechanism involved in the degradation process of alumina-TiC composite, studies in the forms of experimental, theoretical and computational investigation have been performed. Using the concepts of thermodynamics and electrochemical reaction kinetics like Butler-Volmer theory along with Nernst-Planck transport phenomenon, a great deal of insights into the reaction mechanism for oxidation of TiC was developed. Moreover, a potential use of alumina-TiC composite as a biomaterial was assessed in biologically relevant environment. The electrochemical behavior and cytocompatible nature of the composite was investigated and compared with common metallic biomaterials like commercially pure titanium (Cp-Ti) and graphite covered CoCrMo alloy (GC-CoCrMo). After thorough analysis and supporting observations from surface and chemical analysis methods, it was concluded that alumina-TiC is electrochemically stable material than metallic biomaterials and it also favorably supports HB-MSC cell growth and proliferation

Performance Evaluation of Spatial Multiplexing MIMO-OFDM System using MMSE Detection under Frequency Selective Rayleigh Channel

MIMO-OFDM (Multiple Input Multiple Output-Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) is a very promising technology providing high throughput and range without additional bandwidth or transmit power by using many antennas at transmitter and receiver eliminating Inter-Symbol- Interference (ISI).The capacities of MIMO-OFDM systems can be fully utilized by low complex and optimal signal detection scheme. The receiver2019;s detector is supposed to maximize the Signal to interference plus noise (SINR) by cancelling the spatial interference and should separate the transmitted signals. Minimum Mean Square Error (MMSE) detector is near optimal and less complex. The performance of the proposed system is analyzed using MMSE under flat and frequency selective Rayleigh channel environment, different number of antenna configurations and various modulation techniques to provide an optimum solution

Sustainable Financing for the Entrepreneurship Continual Growth: A Gap Analysis on Small and Medium Enterprises in India

Considering the existing funding conditionalities in India, the small and medium enterprises have to face stringent norms as sustainable financing requirements based on Environment, Society and Governance (ESG) disclosures are becoming mandatory for every organization worldwide. The onus still turns to be more intense than ever for the small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The main purpose of this paper is to warn SMEs of the upcoming sustainable financing conditionalities and develop a clear understanding among the SMEs on why they should adapt sustainable financing norms and be resilient towards sustainable financing and ESG disclosures. This paper also tends to inspire SMEs for entrepreneurial growth by striking a balance between their financial requirements and mandatory obligations to benefit themselves, society and the Indian economy. Moreover, this paper focuses on the conceptual stipulation and early adaption of sustainable finance framework by the SMEs and strives to fathom the gap between the sustainable financing realities and the expected level of SMEs’ exposure to sustainable financing and mandatory ESG disclosures. The research methodology identifies seven such areas interconnecting the sustainable financing and UN sustainable development goals (SDGs); Environment (Climate action & Carbon tax), Society (Sustainable Consumption & Externalities), Business (Sustainable Production) and Governance (Green finance, & ESG disclosures) and investigates to find the gap between the perception and expectation of SMEs about the mandatory requirements for sustainable financing and sustainability adaption in India

Pengaruh Harga Dan Kelengkapan Produk Terhadap Keputusan Pembelian Pada Toko Bangunan Johor Mas Medan

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui apakah ada pengaruh harga dan kelengkapan produk terhadap keputusan pembelian di toko bangunan Johor Mas. Jenis data yang digunakan adalah primer dan sekunder. Metode pengumpulan data yang digunakan adalah kuisioner dan wawancara. Populasi ini dihitung berdasarkan hasil rata-rata jumlah konsumen dalam satu minggu sebanyak 140 konsumen. Rumus sampling yang digunakan menggunakan rumus Slovin sebanyak 58 responden. Berdasarkan hasil penelitian dan pembahasan maka diperoleh kesimpulan yaitu variabel harga berpengaruh terhadap variabel keputusan pembelian dan variabel kelengkapan produk berpengaruh terhadap keputusan pembelian. Berdasarkan uji determinan (R2) diperoleh kesimpulan bahwa harga dan kelengkapan produk berpengaruh terhadap keputusan pembelian, diketahui nilai koefisien determinasi (R-Square) adalah 0,506. Nilai tersebut dapat diartikan variabel harga dan kelengkapan produk mampu mempengaruhi keputusan pembelian sebesar 50,6% sisanya sebesar 49,4% dijelaskan oleh variabel atau faktor lainnya