Government and SMEs in the Maldives and Mauritius

The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast the role of government in the development of SMEs in the Maldives and Mauritius. Using tourism SMEs, it seeks to identify, analyse and compare strategies deployed by SMEs operating in an “enabling” and a “constrained” business environment.  An inductive approach to qualitative research is undertaken using seventeen semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders identified though a stakeholder analysis. Using multiple sources (six government officials, eight SME owner/managers, one private bank owner, one academic and one resort owner), variations and consensus in the data were identified through thematic analysis.  The Maldivian Government is less proactive in supporting its SMEs compared to the Mauritian Government. Its failure to facilitate access to finance and provide business support services has led the Maldivian SMEs to use multiple methods of bootstrapping to sustain existing businesses and/or start new ones. In contrast, despite operating in a more enabling business environment, Mauritian SMEs were found to engage in similar strategies due to lack of trust in government-led initiatives. Practical implications – Policy-makers in island economies can use the findings to inform decision making in SME development planning.  While this research adds to the sparse literature on government and SME development in island economies, it also highlights the relevance of bootstrapping for SMEs operating in economically constrained environments

The European-Mediterranean Distributed Accelerometric Data-Base

International audienceWe created an archive for European acceleration data, based on distributed database of accelerogram waveforms, accessed through the new European Earthquake Data Portal (http://www.seismicportal.eu). Data are open to the scientific and engineering community. Currently the 6 core partners contribute data from 1,379 earthquakes with magnitudes ranging from M1.0 to M7.4. Strong Motion Data are available with epicentral distances up to 1,000 km. Additionally, agencies are encouraged to contribute data. Waveforms included in the database are uniformly processed to create a set of engineering parameters that are used to search the database. In addition to the database, we compiled a survey of the existing accelerometric stations in the Euro-Mediterranean region. We expect this platform to be the basis for growing sharing of European Strong Motion Data in an open environment, in as near to real-time as is possible from network operators

Tropical Data: Approach and Methodology as Applied to Trachoma Prevalence Surveys

PURPOSE: Population-based prevalence surveys are essential for decision-making on interventions to achieve trachoma elimination as a public health problem. This paper outlines the methodologies of Tropical Data, which supports work to undertake those surveys. METHODS: Tropical Data is a consortium of partners that supports health ministries worldwide to conduct globally standardised prevalence surveys that conform to World Health Organization recommendations. Founding principles are health ministry ownership, partnership and collaboration, and quality assurance and quality control at every step of the survey process. Support covers survey planning, survey design, training, electronic data collection and fieldwork, and data management, analysis and dissemination. Methods are adapted to meet local context and needs. Customisations, operational research and integration of other diseases into routine trachoma surveys have also been supported. RESULTS: Between 29th February 2016 and 24th April 2023, 3373 trachoma surveys across 50 countries have been supported, resulting in 10,818,502 people being examined for trachoma. CONCLUSION: This health ministry-led, standardised approach, with support from the start to the end of the survey process, has helped all trachoma elimination stakeholders to know where interventions are needed, where interventions can be stopped, and when elimination as a public health problem has been achieved. Flexibility to meet specific country contexts, adaptation to changes in global guidance and adjustments in response to user feedback have facilitated innovation in evidence-based methodologies, and supported health ministries to strive for global disease control targets

Implementasi Cloud Computing Dengan SOA Pada Sistem Informasi Akademik Penjadwalan

Perangkat atau bahasa pemrograman dalam sebuah aplikasi adalah salah satu masalah yang dialami oleh para developer ketika mereka ingin mengembangkan aplikasi yang sudah dibuat sebelumnya, karena keterbatasan itu developer akhirnya tidak dapat mengembangkan aplikasi yang seharusnya dapat dikembangkan menjadi lebih optimal dan fungsional. Oleh sebab itu, penulis berinisiatif membuat suatu teknik webservice untuk perangkat lunak yang dimana dengan menggunakan API (Application Programming Interface) agar developer dapat mengembangkan suatu perangkat lunak dengan mudah tanpa berkendala dengan bahasa pemrograman yang bersangkutan dengan perangkat lunak yang ingin dikembangkan tersebut. Metode yang digunakan dalam pengembangan perangkat lunak ini adalah agile methodology, dan kerangka kerja web menggunakan Code Igniter

Study of metaphysical layer : connection of a city with people

A city has its own specific spirit and charm. That spirit gives the identity and uniqueness to city. In present fast paced environment where there is rapid urbanization, it is very important to know and maintain the core values of a city before implementing the physical development plans. With the better understanding of metaphysical realm we can create better physical realm of a city for its people.To explore and find out the invisible character of a city which makes it unique and which connect people with their city is helpful to maintain its individual character, identity and values in this age of globalization. To study this phenomena a city of Lahore is selected for this research. Lahore is the cultural capital of Punjab, Pakistan with rich history. It is discussed in number of ways by writers and researchers even poets. The layers of centuries old history of Lahore can still visible in its architecture and culture. The aim of the research is to study and understand the core values of a city and how people relate with those values.The metaphysical layer is studied by collecting the various thoughts and emotional affiliation expressed by famous authors and poet

Public Health Implications of Substandard Correctional Health Care

US citizens face a growing threat of contracting communicable diseases owing to the high recidivism rate in state and federal prisons, poor screening and treatment of prisoners, and inferior follow-up health care upon their release. Insufficient education about communicable diseases—for prisoners and citizens alike—and other problems, such as prejudice against prisoners, escalating costs, and an unreliable correctional health care delivery system for inmates, all contribute to a public health problem that requires careful examination and correction for the protection of everyone involved

EFL TEACHERS’ ATTITUDES AND EXPERIENCES ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF MULTILITERACIES

Previous studies have shown that the majority of teachers tend to be affirmative towards multiliteracies practices (Khairi & Retnaningdyah, 2018; Kustini et al., 2020). However, in the Indonesian context, there are relatively few studies in this field employing a case study design to reveal more detailed information specifically on teachers’ attitudes towards multiliteracies. This study was aimed at investigating teachers' attitudes towards the implementation of multiliteracies and teachers’ experiences regarding multiliteracies in the classroom. The participants were three English teachers from three private junior high schools located in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia. The data were collected using semi-structured interviews and the analysis reveals that all participants show mostly positive attitudes toward multiliteracies and they have some experience in implementing multiliteracies in several typical situations in their EFL classrooms. Some of the response shows mixed attitude; however, their experiences with multiliteracies are all positive. Moreover, the majority of teacher participants had positive intentions toward multiliteracies in their future classes. These findings shed light on multiliteracies pedagogical practices and further research directions

Implementasi Cloud Computing Dengan SOA Pada Sistem Informasi Akademik Penjadwalan

Perangkat atau bahasa pemrograman dalam sebuah aplikasi adalah salah satu masalah yang dialami oleh para developer ketika mereka ingin mengembangkan aplikasi yang sudah dibuat sebelumnya, karena keterbatasan itu developer akhirnya tidak dapat mengembangkan aplikasi yang seharusnya dapat dikembangkan menjadi lebih optimal dan fungsional. Oleh sebab itu, penulis berinisiatif membuat suatu teknik webservice untuk perangkat lunak yang dimana dengan menggunakan API (Application Programming Interface) agar developer dapat mengembangkan suatu perangkat lunak dengan mudah tanpa berkendala dengan bahasa pemrograman yang bersangkutan dengan perangkat lunak yang ingin dikembangkan tersebut. Metode yang digunakan dalam pengembangan perangkat lunak ini adalah agile methodology, dan kerangka kerja web menggunakan Code Igniter