This study examines the determinants of dividend policy in Thailand’s technology sector, focusing on cash flows, firm performance, and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) recognition. Using 220 firm-year observations from 44 listed companies (2020–2024) and firm- and year-fixed-effects regressions, the findings show that cash flows do not significantly influence dividend outcomes. Instead, profitability —measured by return on equity and net profit margin—is positively associated with dividend yields, though not with payout ratios. ESG100 index recognition is linked to higher dividend yields, suggesting reputational and signalling benefits, but it does not moderate the sensitivity of dividends to either cash flows or profitability. The results imply that dividend policies in this sector are anchored in earnings strength, with ESG recognition functioning as a credibility signal rather than a governance mechanism. These findings contribute to understanding how sustainability recognition interacts with traditional financial determinants in shaping payout behaviour in emerging markets.
The manufacturing industry faces critical changes due to the increasing importance of sustainability. Ever faster changing customer requirements and the need to consider circular economy require a rethink of today's business models. Continuous innovation, realized through upgrades to existing technical products, holds the key to addressing these challenges. However, operational hurdles hinder its implementation, prompting the need for support in manufacturing companies. An essential point to support and set guard rails is the development of a target system, as it supports manufacturing companies in the prioritization of activities for the realization and implementation of continuous innovation. There is currently a scientific deficit in this area, as the targets of continuous innovation are not sufficiently described, taking into account the relevant dimensions of the product, business models, process and organization. Therefore, this paper focuses on the derivation of a target system for continuous innovation for technical products in the usage phase. It encompasses a systematic literature review-based methodology, a target clustering and target descriptions.
This study evaluated student learning outcomes in elementary education programs through teaching practice for the Appreciation of Classical Chinese Poetry course. The action research methodology was adopted to produce the desired teaching practice outcomes among students in elementary education programs. This research involved eight natural classes with 269 undergraduates over three academic years. The study was guided by outcome-based education theory and a student-centered and outcome-oriented philosophy while pursuing continuous improvement. The findings were cross-validated through the “Course Learning Self-awareness Survey” questionnaire designed by the researcher. We used quantitative and qualitative analyses regarding course objective attainment. In the spirit of teachers as researchers for educational action research, this study focused on student learning, with teachers reflecting on the course and teaching quality and students reflecting on their study. As such, measures for continuous improvement were proposed and integrated into the plan for the next round of teaching. The findings provide insights for educational authorities responsible for education program accreditation and for practitioners in the field.
This paper presents a brief outline of Research Development and Innovation (RDI) systems in the Arab countries, before presenting a more detailed account of human resources and expenditure dedicated to Research and Development (R&D) and the quality of research publications they produced during the period 1996-2023. The quality of research publications is examined through reviewing their citations, self-citations and average Hirsch-index values they managed to attain in comparison to some of their close neighbors as well as averages for the world and selected country groups. The paper concludes that, on average and in terms of both quantity and quality, published research articles by Arab countries trail behind many other countries. The paper’s conclusions emphasize the need for adoption of policies that enhance human resource allocations and financial resources as well as wider collaboration both within and among the Arab countries. Apart from several other negative outcomes, failure to do so would certainly jeopardize attempts at attaining Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to which the Arab countries have repeatedly committed themselves over the past decades.
Social media's emergence as a powerful tool in driving business outcomes is proven. Social media’s penetration among Business-to-business (B2B) employees has improved vastly over the years, but the understanding is far from complete. This study aims to determine how social media usage for work purposes by employees, specifically B2B selling teams, influences their experience from the lens of the Uses and Gratification Theory (UGT). The study used a sample of 245 selling team practitioners to test the proposed model using the UGT lens. The results confirm that social media usage at work by the selling team employees positively influences their various dimensions of experience at Cognitive (CX), Affective (AX), and Social (SX) levels. Further, the SU, CX, and SX did not differ significantly between sales employees and other selling team members even though AX differed. The findings reveal that selling team employees’ experience is influenced by social media usage at work and hence selling organizations need to carve their social media strategy around these dimensions of selling team employee experience.
Traditional strategic planning, rooted in mid-20th-century corporate practice, relies on exhaustive forecasting, centralized control, and bulky documentation that quickly becomes obsolete in contemporary markets. The resulting rigidity, resource intensity, and hierarchical decision-making inhibit responsiveness, stifle innovation, and distract organizations from emerging opportunities. Integrating change theory, dynamic capabilities, and behavioral science, a framework based on clarity, focus, and action is presented as a practical tool for adaptive strategy. The approach distills planning into three iterative phases: (1) clarity, articulating concise, measurable objectives that align stakeholders; (2) focus, prioritizing the few high-leverage initiatives that create disproportionate value; and (3) action, embedding short execution cycles, real-time feedback, and decentralized decision rights to enable rapid course correction. Lewin’s change model, Kotter’s eight steps, the McKinsey 7-S, OKRs, and research on psychological safety are integrated to show how leadership behavior and organizational culture underpin successful implementation. Evidence is provided demonstrating how organizations that embrace lean and agile strategic planning achieve faster decision-making speed, higher employee engagement, and greater resilience during shocks such as digital disruption and the COVID-19 pandemic. The intent of this article is to position agile strategic planning as both a governance mechanism and a learning system, transforming traditional strategic plans into living documents that continuously and iteratively align intent with reality. Successful adoption necessitates adept transformational leadership, a climate of psychological safety, and cross-functional transparency, thereby fostering iterative learning and sustained strategic alignment within today’s volatile, complex, and often ambiguous organizational landscape.
Designers play a crucial role in the sustainable development of products. Future designers must possess the ability to address sustainability trends; therefore, sustainable product design content should be integrated into design education curricula to equip design students with the necessary knowledge. To construct learning content for sustainable product design, this study first applied grounded theory to analyze 50 journal articles published in SCIE, SCI, and AHCI, summarizing key elements of sustainable product design. Six major dimensions were proposed: ‘Functional Design’, ‘Material Utilization’, ‘Resource Utilization’, ‘Energy Utilization’, ‘Life Cycle Management’, and ‘Value Management’. Subsequently, the competencies and courses required for industrial design students were introduced and discussed. The analysis revealed that the cultivation of each dimension is linked to the development of ‘Product Development Planning Skills’, ‘Human Factors Knowledge Skills’, ‘Aesthetic Design Skills’, ‘Engineering Application Skills’, and ‘Market Insight Skills’. These competencies can be taught through courses such as ‘Marketing Planning’, ‘Materials Manufacturing’, ‘Deep Thinking’, and ‘Design Practice’. It is hoped that the findings of this study can serve as a reference for sustainable product design education curriculum planning and the formulation of educational goals, contributing to efforts toward sustainable development.
The USR plan of the Taiwan Ministry of Education hopes that universities can play an important role in social participation as promoters by using professional knowledge and creativity to improve the academic gap and promote local identity and development. The team “STEAM-TNUNAN Opera Concert” of Taiwan National Tsing Hua University combines science education, music, literature, and history to provide courses for local indigenous schools and conducted its third tour on January 6, 2024. This study takes this opportunity to explore whether there are differences in the intercultural communication attitudes of audiences before and after watching a performance from a cultural background other than their own, to understand whether informal education in the form of musicals can play a role. The research tool is the “Intercultural Communication Attitude Scale” modified from Huang Wen-Ding and Lin Xiu-Qing’s “Intercultural Communication Attitude Scale for Grade 5 and 6 Students”. The experimental participants are non-indigenous audiences who watched the tour and statistical methods used include Paired Sample t-test. The result shows that watching a performance from a cultural background other than one’s own can effectively increase Intercultural Communication Attitudes and confirm that informal lessons delivered through musicals can also achieve a subtle effect. Since the project plans to have a large-scale tour at the end of the year, this study expects to use this opportunity to conduct further research.
Many educational institutions have been challenged by sub-replacement fertility in recent years. As such, it is becoming increasingly challenging to enroll new students in their programs. In this context, using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to create avatars to attract student enrollment is an emerging trend and possible solution. However, virtual agents have not yet been widely used to attract enrollment in university departments. Based on the “matching hypothesis,” anthropomorphism affects human perception and behavior by increasing trust and connectedness or stimulating social response behaviors. This study explored viewers’ perceptions of the virtual spokes-character’s smooth performance, expertise, facilities, internship opportunities, and future employment opportunities and prospects in the Department of M at C University. We invited potential students to watch an enrollment advertisement film regarding the Department of M, in which a virtual spokes-character introduced the department. A total of 122 valid questionnaires were retrieved. The findings indicate that the virtual agent positively influenced the viewers. Most viewers found the virtual agent’s performance smooth, professional, and effective in conveying the department’s characteristics. Moreover, most viewers expressed trust in the virtual agent’s endorsement.
With the advent of the digital age, young students commonly use technological tools such as LINE and Instagram for emotional communication and interaction. However, this trend has led to the gradual decline in the abilities of emotional communication and expression among younger generation students. Therefore, enhancing these skills in young students through games is a worthwhile skill to develop. This study aimed to improve the emotional communication and expression abilities of young students through game design, and explored how Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies in current multiple studies can innovate learning environments and teaching methods, investigating whether games designed using artificial intelligence AI could effectively strengthen the players’ emotional resonance, thereby enhancing emotional recognition, empathy, and improving interpersonal communication. To explore this issue, we utilized the ChatGPT-4 (GPT-4) large language model to learn to recognize and categorize different emotional expressions and developed game mechanics through AI. The researchers implemented the game concepts generated by AI, actualized them, and made them available for use by young student players. Simultaneously, the researchers observed the players’ emotional communication and expression abilities after interacting with the emotional images and narratives created by AI, in order to assess the feasibility of the game. The study results confirmed that the players felt curiosity and emotional resonance with the emotional games generated by GPT-4. Through participating in the game, the players enhanced their understanding of emotions and promoted emotional expression. This research further provided valuable insights for the development of AI-based emotional games, with the potential for a positive impact in the fields of education and mental health.
Researchers have long focused on entrepreneurial commitment as an entrepreneurial behavior pattern. However, research on entrepreneurial commitment has been diffuse and fragmented, and research perspectives are limited compared to the diverse problems raised. As a theoretical study, this article aims to review entrepreneurial commitment research and propose a new model to serve as a basis for future research. Through a narrative literature review, we analyze the accumulation of entrepreneurial commitment research and the theory behind it and propose a new model through a comparative analysis with a broader accumulation of commitment research in social psychology, organizational psychology, and business strategy. To date, entrepreneurial commitment research has been mainly based on theories such as goal commitment, the three-component model of workplace commitment, and escalation of commitment. These studies often consider commitment as a psychological state, and little attention has been paid to commitment as an action or the interaction between actions and psychological states. Researchers have also yet to study process studies, which focus on how and why things appear, change, or end. This article proposes a model for managing entrepreneurial commitment that incorporates commitment as an action and enables process research. This model makes it possible to study a wider range of entrepreneurial behavior patterns and entrepreneurial phenomena from the perspective of entrepreneurial commitment.
This research aims to investigate teachers’ experiences in Culturally Responsive Science Teaching (CRST). This research is a qualitative narrative inquiry study with six teachers who are currently pursuing teacher professional education as participants. Data was collected through open interviews. A thematic analysis is used to process data in stages: data transcription and selection of quotations, selection of keywords, coding, developing themes, conceptualization of coding and themes, and development of conceptual models. The research findings show that teachers gain positive experiences related to culturally responsive science teaching practices of changing teachers’ mindsets and restructuring science content. Collaboration between teachers is needed to implement CRST because it is time-consuming and effortful. This research is expected to become a basis for teachers to implement science learning based on students’ social cultures and backgrounds to make meaningful learning.
As part of a Technical and Scientific Project offered to L2 students of ISEP over a period of four months at the rate of one hour per week supervised, a study of the composition and the total number of all riffle shuffles used in magic was requested. The riffle shuffle consists of taking a deck of cards, cutting it into any two parts, then inserting randomly the cards of the first packet into the second. In first approximation there are 52! possible riffle shuffles. This number is an upper limit since the cards in a subdeck cannot change their relative position to their neighbours. A card A below a card B in the same subdeck will not be able to find itself above in the final shuffle. The first goal of the project is to compare one single algorithm implemented either recursively or iteratively in terms of execution time depending on the number of cards. The second goal is to compare the implementation of the same algorithm (either iterative or recursive) in several different programming languages (Python, Language C, Matlab, etc.) and to compare execution times according to the used language. Thus, a recursive algorithm was proposed to the students. All the students tried to code this algo and make it iterative … except one! He imagined another algorithm. The algorithm of the student and the teacher were compared in terms of execution time: do the student exceed the master? The aim of this article is to share my experience. I leave it to you to imagine educational sequences around this project in adequacy with your desires and the level of your students.
This research was carried out to determine proposals for improving the gross margin within a company in the hotel sector in Lima, applying the Lean Service and Six Sigma DMAIC methodologies, whose combined approaches provide a global approach to the analysis of the company and helps to extend the improvements to the other areas of this. The area chosen to carry out the DMAIC analysis (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control) was the purchase one, since this presents a greater number of problems, caused by the low levels of quality offered by suppliers and by the poor management of this, harming the service provided to customers. The techniques chosen for the solution of the root causes of these problems have historically been successfully applied in the manufacturing industry; however, it has not been until recent years that these were also considered for application in companies in the service sector, so the objective of this article is to demonstrate, complementing past research, that these methodologies can have the same success in both sectors.
In recent years, the concept of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and the trend of carbon border adjustment mechanisms in Europe and America have been advocated worldwide. Cultural and creative markets have already assumed a highly significant role in people’s daily lives. Consequently, cultural and creative market activities also need to align with the concept of the “Net Zero Carbon Emission Wave.” By implementing net-zero carbon emission activities within small groups of cultural and creative markets, it becomes possible to achieve environmental sustainability. Cultural and creative markets have often integrated festival events and historical heritage with sustainable environmental concepts. This approach attracts crowds, fostering a sense of local culture and enlivening the environment. Cultural and creative markets have become increasingly popular in Taiwan. These markets serve as friendly venues that combine art, handicrafts, niche brands, and local agricultural products. This study employs the method of visualizing customer journey in service design. It utilizes semi-structured interviews, observations, and customer journey mapping to record data. Analysis is carried out using task time performance, the System Usability Scale (SUS), and the Questionnaire for User Interaction Satisfaction (QUIS). This approach leads to the formulation of prototype designs for two interface options, labeled as A and B. Relevant experts and scholars are invited to evaluate and provide suggestions. A comparative analysis of experimental tasks is also conducted for the two interface designs. This study employs a user-participatory approach to involve users in the design and improvement process of the cultural and creative market interface. By integrating sustainability and perpetual concepts to enhance innovative models, the goal is to achieve a more appealing and user-friendly interface. Simultaneously, through a co-creative approach, users are engaged in the creation and design of the interface, thereby increasing their emotional investment in the design and fostering long-term engagement, ultimately leading to sustainable innovative energy. This fusion ensures the sustainable development of the cultural and creative market while also enabling it to generate positive impacts for users and the environment on various levels.
Based on the Engel-Kollat-Blackwell model of consumer behaviors, this study aimed to understand university students’ consumer decision-making patterns for counterfeit sport shoes, including the effect of needs (functional needs, symbolic needs, and experiential needs), information search, price, brand awareness, and the price-performance ratio on repurchase intentions. This study adopts a convenient sampling method to investigate university students who have purchased counterfeit sport shoes. A total of 234 valid questionnaires were collected. The results of the partial least squares (PLS) analysis showed that the university students, searched for product information when having the functional needs and symbolic needs for sport shoes. This study shows that after students have conducted a product search, the price, brand awareness, and price-performance ratio affected them repurchase intentions. The findings of this study could provide a reference for practical actions to resist counterfeit sport shoes.
Social media crowdsourcing has rapidly expanded into multitudes of academic spheres. This article aims to create an exhaustive bibliometric analysis of the expanding field of social media crowdsourcing with the objective of mapping the scholarly impact, thematic concentrations, and intellectual structure of already existing literature and their fields of research. A comprehensive analysis of the literature on crowdsourcing and social media was conducted using advanced statistical methodologies and tools such as Bibliometrix and Biblioshiny. The publications closely related to these topics were extracted from the Web of Science database, and co-author, co-word, and co-citation analyses were performed. These findings were then visualized graphically. The study highlights the most impactful sources, articles and their authors as well as the frequently used terms and their relatedness in order to examine the past, current and future trends, with the ultimate goal of finding unexplored or under-explored niches. The examination of various factors revealed significant research gaps in both the geographical and platform aspects. The geographic analysis shed light on areas where there is a lack of research, indicating potential for further exploration into the utilization of social media in crowdsourcing in the countries where it is yet to be explored. Additionally, the overreliance on Twitter as a social media platform has in a way constrained research opportunities and directions using local less popular, but potentially more efficient for the gathering of information in the respective field.
The aim of this research is to determine the adopter category rate of patients utilizing telehealth channels, with their corresponding perceived attribute value or the factors that seek to explain how, why and at what rate the technology (in this case telehealth) can be adopted. It was conducted using mixed methods technique. A survey questionnaire anchored on the Diffusion of Innovations (DOI) Theory was deployed to obtain quantitative measures in identifying rate of adopters and the scales corresponding to their perceived attribute value. After which a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) was held to validate the descriptive statistical results and to further understand the link between perceived innovation attributes and the intention to adopt telehealth e-consultations, as proposed by the diffusion of innovationstheory. Furthermore, results from the Focus Group Discussion(FGD) paved for interpretation and understanding of otherfactors influencing individuals to use telehealth e-consultationsin the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is interesting tonote that early adopters to late majority have also adoptedtelehealth primarily due to the social circumstances (fear ofacquiring the virus) but would still prefer traditional face toface consultations if permitted -which explains and validatescompatibility/trialability as their resulting perceived attributevalue. Telehealth innovation adoption (e-consultation) ofnumerous clinics have rendered significant efforts on their useand utilization of telemedicine since the coronavirus epidemicbegan last March 2020. A greater emphasis on patientexperience, providing a relative benefit of healthcare, andconserving expenses, time, and energy has been ascribed toincrease telehealth adoption and implementation.
This study examines how incorporating problem-posing tasks within a self-regulated learning cycle instructional model affects third-grade students’ mathematical metacognition and self-efficacy. While existing research often highlights the learning outcomes of problem-posing in math, the link between these activities and students’ metacognitive abilities in math still needs to be explored—additionally, the integration of self-regulated learning strategies with problem-posing tasks warrants further investigation. Employing a one-group pretest-posttest design, this research uses quantitative methods to measure the instructional approach’s impact on students’ math achievement, metacognitive skills, and self-efficacy in their abilities. The research engaged 21 students in a six-week intervention of problem-posing tasks within a self-regulated learning framework. Data was analyzed using SPSS 27, revealing substantial improvements in learning outcomes, metacognitive abilities, and self-efficacy post-intervention. Students excelled in evaluative skills over metacognitive knowledge and planning and monitoring. The findings endorse the effectiveness of problem-posing activities in the self-regulated learning cycle instructional model, which can enhance mathematical outcomes and metacognition. Additionally, students may develop better self-efficacy through problem-posing activities.
The research aims to analyze the impact of the Internet of Things (IoT) technology on the operation of the wastewater management (WWM) sector. The study results show that IoT technology could enhance operational process innovation in WWM. It is mainly reflected in wastewater pipeline network management, water quality monitoring, risk monitoring, and equipment maintenance. Through field data collection, transmission, fault detection, and decision-making support, it replaces the conventional manual operation, simplifies the workflow, and improves efficiency. In addition, IoT technology not only improves operation quality, and dependability, and reduces costs, but also improves the environment and water hygiene from the social level. In terms of risk management, IoT technology improves the accuracy and timeliness in hazardous sources monitoring, handling, and potential hazards prediction, to improve the risk management capability. Finally, IoT technology can enhance “demand” management by WWM authorities and provide accurate decision support for base capacity setting, also can solve the constraints of WWM system capacity to improve supply capacity.
