Cybernetic Model of Voting Behavior

Abstract. The purpose of this research paper is to review the theories on voting behavior. Apart from providing a brief review of the theories, the main contribution of this research paper lies in drawing a parallel between customer decision-making models of Marketing Management domain in the discipline of Business Administration and invoking the same as a separate theoretical viewpoint here with reference to the voters’ decision-making. Finally, the paper gives a model of voting behavior from a cybernetics model perspective wherein the role of social factors as well as personal factors is underlined as to how they influence the individual voter in response to the broader environmental factors like the national and international policy factors.Keywords. Voting behavior, Political parties, Cybernetics.JEL. D72, P20, C70

Nature and Scope of Open Government Data (OGD) in Oman

Abstract. With the transition of governments to e-governments, the latest measure of ensuring transparency and accountability is through providing more and more access to government data which was hitherto reserved in “silos”. This is the process entailed in "Open Governments" and the data thus opened freely is called "Open Government Data" (OGD). The transition of traditional governments to e-governments has been amply covered in extant literature. However, Open Government is regarded as the final culmination of e-government in a bid to restore public accountability and promote transparency in government besides forging government-citizen ties. In this paper, the nature and scope of OGD of Oman is being investigated. Also, the facilitating and hindering factors in tapping OGD are being discussed in the paper. The paper concludes with directions for further research and academic-cum-practitioner implications. The originality of the paper lies in the fact that the nature and scope of OGD has not been investigated in detail as far as Oman is concerned-the present study seeks to plug this gap.Keywords. Open government data, Open data, Oman.JEL. H10, H50, H55

Why did I Prefer to Vote for my Political Party?

Abstract. The case study revolves around discussions by a group of students of a popular university in a cafeteria. State elections in Uttar Pradesh had just finished and students were wondering as to how the election results were against their pre-conceived notions. They were discussing about the reasons as to why they voted for their preferred political party as first-time voters. Overall, this case study purports to assess the impact of political parties’ branding on voters’ decision-making. The case study seeks to raise three concerns: how does political parties’ branding influence voters’ decision-making? what are the key factors which influence a voter in decision-making process?, and why is psychology so different in a multi-party system in developing economies’ contexts? A consumer-oriented approach is developed for assessing the impact of political parties’ branding on voters’ decision-making. It is concluded that voters’ decision-making is influenced by the political parties’ branding initiatives.Keywords. Political parties’ branding; Political marketing; Voters perception.JEL. P16, D72, D73

From Oil to Non-Oil: How are Private Higher Education Institutions Confronting with Quality Issues?

Abstract. Plummeting oil prices have been a cause of concern for Omani economy and the state is strategizing to provide impetus to non-oil sectors. One of the prime sectors which are being given the desired push is that of higher education wherein private sector is being given ample opportunity to further the economy of Oman by contributing towards its human capital. Private higher educational educations in Oman have collaboration with international university partners. However, issues of quality management remain to be addressed. The key contribution of the paper lies in the emphasis on the role and significance of the international university partners in furtherance of quality management in these private higher educational institutions. For the present purpose, four metrics of quality assurance shall be taken into consideration; viz. academic quality, infrastructure, research collaboration and professional development. Document review shall remain the edifice for research evidence.Keywords. Oman, Internationalization, Higher education, Privatization.JEL. H52, H75, I00

Why did I prefer to vote for my political party?

The case study revolves around discussions by a group of students of a popular university in a cafeteria. State elections in Uttar Pradesh had just finished and students were wondering as to how the election results were against their pre-conceived notions. They were discussing about the reasons as to why they voted for their preferred political party as first-time voters. Overall, this case study purports to assess the impact of political parties’ branding on voters’ decision-making. The case study seeks to raise three concerns: how does political parties’ branding influence voters’ decision-making?; what are the key factors which influence a voter in decision-making process?, and why is psephology so different in a multi-party system in developing economies’ contexts? A consumer-oriented approach is developed for assessing the impact of political parties’ branding on voters’ decision-making. It is concluded that voters’ decision-making is influenced by the political parties’ branding initiatives

Why did I prefer to vote for my political party?

The case study revolves around discussions by a group of students of a popular university in a cafeteria. State elections in Uttar Pradesh had just finished and students were wondering as to how the election results were against their pre-conceived notions. They were discussing about the reasons as to why they voted for their preferred political party as first-time voters. Overall, this case study purports to assess the impact of political parties’ branding on voters’ decision-making. The case study seeks to raise three concerns: how does political parties’ branding influence voters’ decision-making?; what are the key factors which influence a voter in decision-making process?, and why is psephology so different in a multi-party system in developing economies’ contexts? A consumer-oriented approach is developed for assessing the impact of political parties’ branding on voters’ decision-making. It is concluded that voters’ decision-making is influenced by the political parties’ branding initiatives

Traditional healing practices for treatment of animal bites among tribes of India: A systematic review

Animal bites are a significant concern of public health and mortality throughout the world, wherein India reports the highest number of deaths due to snakebites. The tribes of India (Scheduled Tribes or STs), constituting about 8.6% of India’s population with a total of more than 104 million, mostly inhabit remote and inaccessible areas, with their subsistence and habitation being primarily forest-derived. This forest-based lifestyle exposes tribal populations to animal bites which are often lethal, and at the same time, it is the forest only on which tribes are dependent for getting their primary health care through the institution of traditional healer or ethnomedical practitioner who uses natural resources to cure various health issues. This system of knowledge and immense know-how of illness, diagnosis, treatment and utilization of natural resources (especially plants) in treatment of a myriad of ailments is transferred orally from one generation to another. The present work is an attempt to assemble information related to various plants and practices being used as traditional medicine for treating animal bites by the tribes of India. The review was undertaken by categorising research articles focusing on tribes residing in different geographical zones of India (seven zones for the current purpose) and their treatment pattern involving usage of plants for various types of animal bites. We find that present work fills-in the critical gap by providing detailed analysis of 276 plant species being used in 423 herbal preparations for curing animal bites by 81 tribes of India.  It is found that tribal populations residing in Southern parts of the country report the usage of highest number of medicinal plants, whereas scarce data is available on the traditional medicinal practices for curing animal bites in tribes of the Island zone (i.e., in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands). This facet of tribal lifestyle, involving usage of natural resources around them for healthcare, is in a way exemplary of their survivability in tough forested conditions since time immemorial, and, thus should be treated as a success story in itself.

Do Open Government Data (OGD) portals show signs of Knowledge Management (KM) practices?:An empirical investigation

Open Government Data (OGD) is a build-up of the data accumulated in the government organizations pertaining to the structural and functional dimensions and it is imperative for OGD to be high-value for facilitating value creation and innovation. The present study purports to provide a launchpad to the aforementioned truism by advancing the concept of Open Government Data Capital (OGDC) resting on the principles of Knowledge Management (KM) given that the high-value OGD can result only with the engagement of the concerned administrative agencies in knowledge sharing for being made accessible for wider use via dedicated web portals. To drive home the arguments, an empirical investigation is conducted with four top-notch countries, viz., Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United States, in terms of the quantitative evaluation of their OGD portals’ quality and inferences are drawn as to how OGDC may be furthered with the provision and maintenance of high-value datasets. Thus, it is shown that the Australian OGD portal is qualitatively robust and leads in terms of OGDC which may be beefed up with more integration of the KM practices in terms of the inter-governmental agencies’ coordination and the other countries are lagging behind in terms of the quality parameters. While little attention has been paid towards the integration of KM in the OGD realm, the present study is a step forward in this direction

Do Open Government Data (OGD) portals show signs of Knowledge Management (KM) practices?:An empirical investigation

Open Government Data (OGD) is a build-up of the data accumulated in the government organizations pertaining to the structural and functional dimensions and it is imperative for OGD to be high-value for facilitating value creation and innovation. The present study purports to provide a launchpad to the aforementioned truism by advancing the concept of Open Government Data Capital (OGDC) resting on the principles of Knowledge Management (KM) given that the high-value OGD can result only with the engagement of the concerned administrative agencies in knowledge sharing for being made accessible for wider use via dedicated web portals. To drive home the arguments, an empirical investigation is conducted with four top-notch countries, viz., Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United States, in terms of the quantitative evaluation of their OGD portals’ quality and inferences are drawn as to how OGDC may be furthered with the provision and maintenance of high-value datasets. Thus, it is shown that the Australian OGD portal is qualitatively robust and leads in terms of OGDC which may be beefed up with more integration of the KM practices in terms of the inter-governmental agencies’ coordination and the other countries are lagging behind in terms of the quality parameters. While little attention has been paid towards the integration of KM in the OGD realm, the present study is a step forward in this direction

Metadata quality matters in Open Government Data (OGD) evaluation! An empirical investigation of OGD portals of the GCC constituents:An empirical investigation of OGD portals of the GCC constituents

Purpose: The study seeks to investigate the quality of metadata associated with the Open Government Data (OGD) portals of the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) constituentsBahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), and United Arab Emirates (UAE). Design/methodology/approach: A quantitative framework, supported by extant literature, is adopted to assess the metadata quality of the six OGD portals of the GCC constituents. Findings: Among the six GCC countries, Qatar has the most advanced OGD metadata quality followed by KSA, UAE, Oman, Bahrain and Kuwait. Furthermore, the OGD metadata quality of UAE and Oman stand at the same pedestal whereas Bahrain and Kuwait OGD portals are lagging behind. Originality: Whereas the OGD quality has been investigated in extant literature, the metadata quality of the OGD portals for the GCC countries has not been investigated so far- the present study seeks to plug this ga