Published: July 31, 2022

This paper investigates the effect of individual chief executive officers’ (CEOs’) characteristics on corporate performance. CEOs across 50 Chinese firms over time were selected and it was discovered that CEOs’ specific factors play a significant role in their firms’ performance. CEOs’ demographic characteristics include their legal background, dual position (that is, as both CEO and chairman of the same firm), shareholding ratio, gender, and tenure. The findings show that CEOs with a legal background have a positive influence on return on assets. Robustness tests support the validity of the main results. Our findings are consistent with the human capital theory …

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Published: March 31, 2022

Many rural households do not have access to treated drinking water. However, some households may be in regions where a water treatment plant has excess capacity to supply some additional households. In such circumstances, small diameter low-pressure supply systems can be connected to major transmission lines to give these households access to water. These typically occur in locations that do not belong to recognized municipal or other local government. Such supply systems, commonly referred to as “trickle fill,” have been implemented in South America, Africa and Canada. This paper explains the concept of trickle fill supply systems. A user-friendly decision-making …

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Published: Dec. 1, 2014

This review paper critically analyzes the economic literature on the approaches of measuring the environmental benefits. It focuses on the economic methodologies that are available for the evaluation of the effects (social costs and benefits) of environmental changes (degradation/preservation) on river water quality. Further, it shows how the monetary valuations of these effects can have an impact in making of economic policy for creating more efficient water quality management for environmentally sustainable aspects. Over 85 papers were reviewed and it was found that the economic assessment tools were studied independently without comparing the impact of one method over the other. …

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Published: July 31, 2022

In recent years, some domestic and foreign scholars have studied the relationship between corporate social responsibility and corporate performance. Some of these studies show that there is a positive relationship; others found a negative correlation while others found no correlation between them. It is of great significance for internet enterprises to undertake corporate social responsibility when private sector operators provide public services. Through case analysis, this study selects Ctrip, a Chinese multinational online travel company with many incidents of social responsibility in recent years, to explore the impact of corporate social responsibility on corporate financial performance by reading its corporate …

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Published: Aug. 19, 2014

Career and Technical Education (CTE) is a vital part of our nation’s education system. Despite a myriad of positive outcomes related to CTE, such as creativity, problem solving, manual dexterity, and spatial perception, CTE participation, funding, and emphasis have declined in recent years. This paper discusses the history of CTE as well as the current status of CTE in education. Positive outcomes linked with CTE are highlighted and arguments are presented for an actual presence of CTE in education. Challenges facing CTE are addressed and recommendations are provided.

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Published: Feb. 17, 2022

The liquid of anaerobic fermentation from Livestock (LAFL) can supply nutrients for plants. Therefore, it should be beneficial to the growth of crops. The experiment was carried out with a view to study the effect of irrigation based on LAFL and separately, chemical fertilizer (CK) for ten kinds of crops. The results showed that the organic matter in the LAFL were slightly higher than those in the CK. In the LAFL, phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) content in the soil were all similar to CK. The content of calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) in the soil after 5 months varied …

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Published: July 31, 2021

The perpetual search for solutions to societal conflicts, particularly those tagged intractable, that is, irresolvable, took a dramatic turn when South Africa, one of such age-long conflicts, bowed to mediation after about 48 years of fierce existence. Until now, no rigorously deep insight that is capable of accurately and adequately accounting for the dialectics of history that brought apartheid to such an abrupt end. South Africa became a new model of a democratic society in a transition that did not involve an external third-party and bloodshed. A rigorous study of the South African conflict, using critical discourse analysis and navigating …

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Published: Dec. 31, 2014

This study is a literature review with the ambition to answer the question, what is globalization? The myriad of perspectives, both for and against globalization theses makes it an elusive concept and can be confusing both for undergraduate students and laypersons. Hence, in this paper globalization theses reconsidered, pulling together diverse perspectives in order to provide an alternative way of understanding globalization debate, according to the manifestation of the phenomena associated with it rather than grappling with various explanations. Therefore, globalization means information age and integration, transnational movement and an intersection of global and other special qualities. This paper used …

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Published: April 30, 2021

Artemisia glabella Kar. et Kir. is a source of sesquiterpene lactone arglabin, which has antitumor, radiosensitizing and immunomodulatory activity. Studying the biosynthesis of arglabin and its derivatives will allow us to develop the biotechnological basis for its production, thereby increasing its availability. The precursor to most sesquiterpene lactones is costunolide. The purpose of these studies was to detect and determine the nucleotide sequences of mRNA enzymes germacrene A synthase (GAS, EC 4.2.3.23), germacrene A oxidase (GAO, EC 1.14.14.95) and costunolide synthase (COS, EC 1.14.13.120), involved in the biosynthesis of costunolide in A. glabella. As a result of studies, mRNA was …

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Published: Sept. 30, 2021

The concept of e-portfolios is to reflect an avenue into the past, present, and future of a person; displaying his or her lifetime education and devotion to further development, represents a valuable tool in aiding students’ not only in their academic growth, but mainly in their transition into higher education levels or even new careers. In the last few years, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of e-portfolios has shown an unexpected rise on university level, in its use to meet new developed needs. This work gives a brief definition of e-portfolios, how faculty members and students gain from …

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