Aim/Purpose: The digital divide and educational inequalities remain a significant societal problem in the United States, and elsewhere, impacting low income, first-generation, and minority learners. Accordingly, institutions of higher education are challenged to meet the needs of students with varying levels of technological readiness with deficiencies in information and digital literacy shown to be a hindrance to student success. This paper documents the efforts of a mid-Atlantic minority-serving institution as it seeks to assess, and address, the digital and information literacy skills of underserved students Background: A number of years ago, a historically Black university in Maryland developed an institutional commitment to the digital and information literacy of their students. These efforts have included adoption of an international certification exam used as a placement test for incoming freshmen; creation of a Center for Student Technology Certification and Training; course redesign, pre and post testing in computer applications courses; and a student perception survey. Methodology: A multi-methodological approach was applied in this study which relied on survey results, pre and post testing of students enrolled in introductory and intermediate computer applications courses, and scores from five years of placement testing. Student pre and post test scores were compared in order to examine degree of change, and post test scores were also assessed against five years of scores from the same test used as a placement for incoming freshmen. Finally, a student perception and satisfaction survey was administered to all students enrolled in the courses under consideration. The survey included a combination of dichotomous, Likert-scaled, and ranking questions and was administered electronically. The data was subsequently exported to Microsoft Excel and SPSS where descriptive statistical analyses were conducted. Contribution: This study provides research on a population (first-generation minority college students) that is expanding in numbers in higher education and that the literature reports as being under-prepared for academic success. Unfortunately, there is a paucity of current studies examining the information and technological readiness of students specifically enrolled at minority serving institutions. As such, this paper is timely and relevant and helps to extend our discourse on the digital divide and technological readiness as it impacts higher education. The students included in this study are representative of those enrolled in Historically Black Colleges or Universities (HBCUs) in the United States, giving this paper broad implications across the country. Internationally, most countries have populations of first-generation college students from under-served populations for whom a lack of digital readiness is an also an issue therefore giving this study a global relevance. Findings: The digital divide is a serious concern for higher education, especially as schools seek to increasingly reach out to underserved populations. In particular, the results of this study show that students attending a minority serving institution do not come to college with the technology skills needed for academic success. Pre and post testing of students, as well as responses to survey questions, have proven the efficacy of computer applications courses at building the technology skills of students. These courses are viewed overwhelmingly positive by students with respondents reporting that they are a necessary part of the college experience that benefits them academically and professionally. Use of an online simulated learning and assessment system with immediate automated feedback and remediation was also found to be particularly effective at building the computer and information literacy skills of students. The total sample size for this study was over 2,800 individuals as data from 2690 IC3 tests administered over a five year period were considered, as well as 160 completed surveys, and pre and post testing of 103 students. Recommendations for Practitioners: Institutions of higher education should invest in a thorough examination of the information and technology literacy skills, needs, and perceptions of students both coming into the institution as well as following course completion. Recommendation for Researchers: This research should be expanded to more minority serving institutions across the United States as well as abroad. This particular research protocol is easily replicated and can be duplicated at both minority and majority serving institutions enabling greater comparisons across groups. Impact on Society: The results of this research help to shed light on a problem that desperately needs to be addressed by institutions of higher education, which is the realities of the digital divide and the under preparedness of entering college students in particular those who are from low income, first generation, and minority groups Future Research: A detailed quantitative survey study is being conducted that seeks to examine the technology uses, backgrounds, needs, interests, career goals, and professional expectations with respect to a range of currently relevant technologies.

The all-pervasive Internet has created serious problems, such as Internet overuse, which has triggered considerable debate over its relationship with addiction. To further explore its genetic susceptibilities and alternative explanations for Internet overuse, we proposed and evaluated four hypotheses, each based on existing knowledge of the biological bases of addiction, inattention, novelty-seeking, and harm-avoidance. Four genetic loci including DRD4 VNTR, DRD2 Taq1A, COMT Val158Met and 5-HTTLPR length polymorphisms were screened from seventy-three individuals. Our results showed that the DRD4 4R/4R individuals scored significantly higher than the 2R or 7R carriers in Internet Addiction Test (IAT). The 5-HTTLPR short/short males scored significantly higher in IAT than the long variant carriers. Bayesian analysis showed the most compatible hypothesis with the observed genetic results was based on attention (69.8%), whereas hypotheses based harm-avoidance (21.6%), novelty-seeking (7.8%) and addiction (0.9%) received little support. Our study suggests that carriers of alleles (DRD4 2R and 7R, 5-HTTLPR long) associated with inattentiveness are more likely to experience disrupted patterns and reduced durations of Internet use, protecting them from Internet overuse. Furthermore, our study suggests that Internet overuse should be categorized differently from addiction due to the lack of shared genetic contributions.

Aim/Purpose: The media and research have made significant noise about young people’s addictions to technology, however the American Psychological Association (APA) has reserved judgment on the clinical diagnosis of technology addiction. Research to understand technology addiction is important to the future of information systems development and behavioral usage understanding. Background: Addiction implies that there is a problem from which an IS client needs to try to recover, further implying a negative impact on life. Multiple defini-tions and outcomes of addictions have been studied in the information systems discipline, with virtually no focus on quality of life of the IS client. Methodology: This research employs a survey of students at a large southwestern United States university. Measures were adopted from previously validated sources. The final sample includes 413 usable responses analyzed using PLS. Contribution: This research broadens theoretical and practical understanding of SNS IS client perceptions by relating technology addiction to a broader impact on an individual’s life. By doing so, it provides guidance on society’s understanding of frequent technology use, as well as the development of new systems that are highly used. Findings: This research indicates diminished impulse control, distraction, social influence and satisfaction are all highly correlated with technology addiction; specifically, 55% of the variance in addiction is explained by these four indicators. However, the model further shows addiction has no significant relationship with overall satisfaction of life, indicating that IS clients do not correlate the two ideas. Recommendations for Practitioners: Heavy technology use may indicate a paradigm shift in how people inter-act, instead of a concern to be addressed by the APA. Recommendation for Researchers: Research needs to clearly define technology dependence, addiction, and overuse so that there is a strong understanding of what is meant. These findings help guide assumptions about the dark side of Information Technology. Impact on Society: While technology use is increasing, younger generations may find the use to be acceptable and less of a problem then older generations. Future Research: Future research should replicate these findings on other technology artifacts and other technology addiction definitions. In the future, there is also opportunity to delve deeper into the outcome variable of satisfaction with life.

Aim/Purpose: This paper examines the impact of the transformational, servant, and paternalistic leadership styles on employee performance at the middle and senior levels. Background: Transdisciplinary research promotes the integration and development of various sciences. It provides more choices for leaders to adopt ways and practical activities to promote enterprise development. Complexity leadership theory emphasizes that effectively functioning organizations need distinct forms of leadership to work together. Leaders rely on different leadership practices in an emergent collaborative context, and finding an optimal balance is challenging. Many scholars have attempted to explore which leadership styles have a more significant impact on employees by distinguishing and defining types of leadership styles and explaining the process by which they influence employee behavior and performance. Various scholars have further explored and empirically demonstrated the impact of these three types of leadership styles (transformational, servant, paternalistic)on employee performance. While transformational and servant leadership have their roots in the West, paternalistic leadership has roots in China. Few scholars have conducted comparative studies on their positive impact on employee performance. How do these three leadership styles affect employee performance at the middle and senior levels in the Chinese context? Which combination of middle and senior leadership styles performs best? These are the second area that this paper will attempt to explore. Methodology: This study constructs a three-tier model at the senior, middle, and grassroots levels. A questionnaire survey was used to collect data. SPSS 22.0 and Amos were used for data analysis. Contribution: Through its construction of a three-tier model (senior, middle, and grassroots levels), the paper explores the combined effect of three leadership styles (transformational, servant, and paternalistic) on grassroots employees. It explores the impact of senior leaders across levels on grassroots employee performance, which is expected to provide a valuable addition to theories on leadership styles. It is also instructive to examine which leadership style performs better and what middle and senior leadership configurations are more conducive to driving beneficial employee behavior and, ultimately, corporate growth. Findings: The transformational, servant, and paternalistic leadership styles, both at the top and middle levels, have a significant positive relationship with employee performance; the middle leadership style plays a positive mediating role between the top leadership style and employee performance. In terms of impact on employee performance, transformational leadership shows the best results at both the top and middle levels, with paternalistic leadership second and servant leadership at the same level. Regarding which middle and senior leadership style pairing is the best, the sample is relatively small, and the gap between various pairing combinations is not evident from the data. If the sample size is enlarged, the coefficient will likely expand year-on-year. Therefore, we can assume that the pairing effect of top servant leadership and middle transformational leadership is the best, top paternalistic leadership and middle transformational leadership is the second-best, and the combination of top paternalistic leadership and middle-level servant leadership leaders is the weakest. Recommendation for Researchers: This paper extends the study of top and middle leadership’s combined effect on employee performance as a positive response to the call for multi-layer or cross-layer analysis in leadership research. The findings further enrich the literature on leadership style-related theories. The middle leadership style plays a positive mediating role between the top leadership style and employee performance. The trickle-down effect is further verified, i.e., the top leadership will have a permeating influence on employees through the middle leadership, and the top’s influence on the middle is generally more significant than the influence on grassroots employees. However, the difference between the influence of the middle leadership on the grassroots and that of the top on the grassroots is not apparent, which is inconsistent with the trickle-down effect that the middle leadership communicates more with the grassroots and has more influence on the grassroots, and further verification is needed. All three types of leaders positively affected employee performance, with the best being transformational leadership, paternalistic leadership, and servant leadership. This finding is consistent with some scholars and inconsistent with some scholars. The interested scholars can do further research. The better performance of diverse pairings in middle and senior leadership combinations is consistent with previous research suggesting that leadership styles have their own strengths and can be complementary. This paper further provides a comparative study of multiple leadership styles to validate the recognition and adaptability of leadership styles and further explain the complex relationship between leadership styles and employee job performance. Scholars can conduct comparative research on other leadership styles, and there may be different results. Future Research: Because of the cross-sectional data taken, the findings’ generalizability still needs further validation. There are many types of leadership styles, and there are other types of leadership styles that can be explored comparatively, perhaps leading to different findings. From another point of view, various leaders have their strengths, and they are not mutually hindering. More research is needed on team formation in a variety of contexts. Organic organizational structure enables knowledge creation and integration through the process of organizational learning through deep and continuous social interaction or dialogue. So we can further examine the influence process of leaders on employees from how to give full play to their advantages, such as improving shared leadership and shared communication.

Aim/Purpose: To explore the incidence of addiction potential within the Iranian public working population, describing how many Iranian public employees fall within the diagnostic categories of low, moderate, and high addiction potential. Also, to investigate the predicting role of occupational variables such as perceived stress, job security, and job satisfaction on addiction potential and belonging to low, moderate, and high addiction potential diagnostic categories. Background: Substance addiction among employees can lead to several negative consequences at the individual and organizational levels. Also, it is the fourth cause of death in Iran. However, few studies have been conducted on the topic among employees, and non among Iranian employees. Methodology: The study participants were 430 employees working in governmental offices of the North Khorasan province, Iran. Descriptive statistical analysis and multiple linear regression analysis were conducted to explore the incidence of addiction potential within the analyzed population and to investigate whether occupational variables such as perceived stress, job security, and job satisfaction predicted low, moderate, or high addiction potential. Contribution: This paper suggests that perceived stress might act as a risk factor for developing addiction, whereas job security and job satisfaction might be protective factors against the likelihood of addiction development. Findings: More than half of the sample showed moderate to high addiction potential. Perceived stress was positively related to addiction potential. Job security and job satisfaction were negatively related to addiction potential. Recommendation for Researchers: When addressing the topic of substance addiction, researchers should focus on the preventative side of investigating it; that is, addiction risk rather than already unfolded addiction. Also, researchers should be mindful of the cultural context in which studies are conducted. Future Research: Future research might investigate other relevant occupational predictors in relation to employee addiction potential, such as leadership style, work-life balance, and worktime schedule, or expand on the relevant causal chain by including personality traits such as neuroticism.

Recent innovations in additive manufacturing (AM) have proven its efficacy for not only the manufacturing industry but also the healthcare industry. Researchers from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and California State University Long Beach are developing a model that will determine the optimal locations for additive manufacturing hubs that can effectively serve both the manufacturing and healthcare industries. This paper will focus on providing an overview of the healthcare industry's unique needs for an AM hub and summarise the specific inputs for the model. The methods used to gather information include extensive literature research on current practices of AM models in healthcare and an inclusive survey of healthcare practitioners. This includes findings on AM's use for surgical planning and training models, the workflow to generate them, sourcing methods, and the AM techniques and materials used. This paper seeks to utilise the information gathered through literature research and surveys to provide guidance for the initial development of an AM hub location model that locates optimal service locations.

What is Biddable Media? Biddable media refers to digital advertising space purchased through real-time bidding. It’s a flexible and efficient way to ensure your ads reach the right audience. This article will cover the basics of biddable media and its benefits for your marketing strategy. Key Takeaways Biddable media operates through a real-time [...]

Drawing on theories of behavioral decision making and situational strength, we developed and tested a multilevel model that explains how the performance outcomes of personal initiative tendency depend on the extent of alignment between organizational control mechanisms and proactive individuals' risk propensities. Results from a sample of 383 middle managers operating in 34 business units of a large multinational corporation indicated that risk propensity weakens the positive relationship between personal initiative tendency and job performance. This negative moderating effect was further amplified when middle managers receive high job autonomy but was attenuated in business units with a strong performance management context. We discuss the implications of these findings for research on proactivity, risk taking, and organizational control.

Despite the proliferation of strategy process and practice research, we lack understanding of the historical embeddedness of strategic processes and practices. In this paper, we present three historical approaches with the potential to remedy this deficiency. First, realist history can contribute to a better understanding of the historical embeddedness of strategic processes; in particular, comparative historical analysis can explicate the historical conditions, mechanisms, and causality in strategic processes. Second, interpretative history can add to our knowledge of the historical embeddedness of strategic practices, and microhistory can specifically help to understand the construction and enactment of these practices in historical contexts. Third, poststructuralist history can elucidate the historical embeddedness of strategic discourses, and genealogy can in particular increase our understanding of the evolution and transformation of strategic discourses and their power effects. Thus, this paper demonstrates how in their specific ways historical approaches and methods can add to our understanding of different forms and variations of strategic processes and practices, the historical construction of organizational strategies, and historically constituted strategic agency.

This book centers on the author's discovery, and moral disapproval, of expedient arrangements adopted by American firms in China, through which 'middlemen', operating as independent agents, pay bribes as part and parcel of the troublesome process of negotiating and clinching business deals there.

KUALA LUMPUR: Former finance minister Tun Daim Zainuddin was laid to rest at the Bukit Kiara Muslim Cemetery 1 at 6.07 pm today.

The hearse carrying his remains arrived at the burial site at 5.16 pm.

Approximately 200 family members and friends were present for the burial, which took place under overcast skies following the rain.

Daim, 86, died at 8.21 am today while receiving treatment at Assunta Hospital in Petaling Jaya.

His remains were brought to his residence in Persiaran Bukit Tunku at 11.30 am, before being taken to the Federal Territory Mosque in Jalan Duta, where the funeral prayer was performed led by the mosque’s grand imam Jamal Abdul Halim.

Among the prominent figures who paid their last respects at Daim’s residence were former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, former Senate president Tan Sri Dr Rais Yatim, Opposition leader Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin and Muar Member of Parliament Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman.

Daim, whose full name is Che Abdul Daim Zainuddin, served as Finance Minister twice. His first term was from 1984 to 1991 under Dr Mahathir’s administration, where he played a key role in managing Malaysia’s economy and implementing structural adjustments.

He returned to the role of Finance Minister for a second term from 1999 to 2001, once again under Dr Mahathir, to tackle the economic challenges resulting from the Asian financial crisis.

Born on April 29, 1938, in Kedah, Daim served as a Member of Parliament for five terms between 1982 and 2004.

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If you recently signed up to receive cash compensation from the Equifax breach settlement, you must do this now to validate your claim.

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Have you ever been browsing a website and then later received an email from the company even though you didn’t provide your email address? Or maybe you added items to your cart on a shopping website but decided not to follow through with the purchase. Then you get an email asking whether you forgot to […]

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Actor maintains filmmaker is close to his heart

‘Standup Girl’ actor says she has no qualms about beau playing romantic roles

Star-studded nuptials started in March with a three-day pre-wedding party with a performance by superstar Rihanna

Social media did not disappoint when it came to satirical coverage of the event

A pinch of salt can do more than you think!

The horror-comedy Stree 2 becomes the ninth film to join the Rs 500 crore club.

Ejaz shared birthday celebrations in her YouTube vlog; voiced concerns about inadequate private hospital facilities

Tommy Hilfiger set sail on a decommissioned ferry and delivered a show that was all style and swagger!

The actress shared the news of her husband’s passing on Instagram.

YouTube said that this new goal can be used in ads displayed on Shorts and to drive more traffic towards websites

Experts advocate improved storage facilities, export innovation in agri-sector

This tutorial shows how to add a custom link to the menu in WordPress.

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This tutorial shows how to add a new category (collection) in Shopify.

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This tutorial is going to show you how to add a search form & edit search results page on your Wordpress template.

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This tutorial is going to show you how to to add SKU to the product in WooCommerce.

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This tutorial shows how to add/remove filter tag in collection pages in Shopify.

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This tutorial will show how to add an admin user and set permissions to it in Shopify.

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The following tutorial is going to show you how to add an icon into Custom block in Shopify.

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This tutorial will show you how to add captcha (reCAPTCHA) to Contact Form 7 in Wordpress.

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This tutorial is going to show you how to add a add menu separator (non-clickable parent menu item) to your Wordpress template.

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The picture shows couple tying knot under water. — Saudi Ajel Newspaper

Beneath the crystal-clear waters of the Red Sea in Jeddah, Hasan Abu Ola and Yasmine Daftardar tied the knot in an underwater wedding ceremony.

The Muslim couple got married in a dazzling view filled with...

Meghan Markle is reportedly irritated by Kate Middleton and Prince William’s efforts to get Prince Harry back.

The Duchess of Sussex, who lives with the duke in California, is apprehensive any reconciliation efforts from the Royals could break her...

Back in December 2023, FDA announced intention in the Federal Register and in a press release to form a new FDA Advisory Committee to be called the Genetic Metabolic Diseases Advisory Committee (GeMDAC). As noted in a recent posting here, … Continue reading →

Greece has one of Europe's lowest fertility rates, a dire demographic state driven by a decade-long economic crisis

Kate Middleton is expected to showcase a "bold yet sophisticated style" at her upcoming "Together at Christmas" Carol Service, according to a fashion expert.

Speaking with GB News, fashion guru James Harris predicted that the Princess of Wales’ outfit will potentially featuring...

Kate Middleton, Prince William issue statement as they make special announcement

Kate Middleton and Prince William issued a statement to make an exciting announcement after confirming that the Princess of Wales will host her fourth Together at Christmas Carol Service.

The Prince...

Sean "Diddy" Combs' shocking motive behind dating Jennifer Lopez unveiled

Diddy’s motive behind dating Jennifer Lopez in the past has just been unveiled.

In a throwback interview with Essence in 2007, the music mogul, who is currently being held at a detention centre in...

Prince William marks the start of something new with Kate Middleton

Prince William’s shift into a new era of his life has just been brought to light.

A conversation surrounding this happened on The Sun’s Royal Exclusive, with reporter Bronte Coy and broadcaster Sarah...

Queen Camilla addresses health concerns after resuming Royal duties

Queen Camilla addressed her health concerns after returning to Royal duties following chest infection, due to which she took a brief break from work.

The Queen attended The Booker Prize Foundation at Clarence House...

Justin Rudd is one of the funiest dudes, you'll ever meet. Justins riding skills are really technical and also very stylish, which is definitely a reason to check his instagram and Youtube Account.

BMX Since: 2012
BMX Disziplin: BMX Street
Hometown: WI, USA/Mannheim
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Homespots: onalaska skatepark
Favorite Spots: Skatepark Schönau in Mannheim
Favorite thing beside BMX: Music, clothes
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