Digital Commons Network^™

Environmental Impact Of The Hajj, Abdullah Abonomi, Terry De Lacy, Joanne Pyke

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Every year, millions of Muslim worshippers visit Mecca in Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj which is the fifth and last pillar of Islam. In 2018, Mecca hosted more than 2,300,000 people from around 183 different countries and cultures. Based on the objective of Vision 2030 of the Saudi Arabian government, the number of pilgrims was planned to grow to 2.5 million in 2020, and the rate of increase was projected to be 13% per year. This goal, however, has not been achieved due to Covid-19. The pandemic forced the government to severely reduce the number of pilgrims in 2020 to …

The Effect Of Covid-19 On Independent African Churches (Iacs) In Johannesburg, South Africa, Constance Nyika, Milena Ivanovic, Kevin A. Griffin

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

This paper explores the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the religious tourism activities of the four most prominent Independent Apostolic Churches (IAC) operating in Johannesburg, South Africa. This is an interpretive qualitative research study based on data from 15 telephone-based semi-structured interviews with congregants and church leaders of the Zion Christian Church, Zimbabwe (ZCC Mutendi), The Apostolic Church of Johane Marange, The Apostolic Church of Johane Masowe and Apostolic Faith Church, Mugodhi. Thematic content analysis was used for data analysis.

The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted the religious tourism activities of all four IACs in the study as they …

Ancient Religious Sites As Tools For Sustainable Tourism Development: An Empirical Study In The North Of Bali, I Made Pageh, Putu I. Rahmawati Ph.D, Terry Delacy Prof. Dr., Min Jiang Ph.D

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Bali, a thousand temple island, is an ideal destination for spiritual tourism with magnificent temples containing a variety of unique religious carvings, statues, and ornaments. The beauty of Bali’s religious rituals, social and cultural events, and cultural performances underpin its spiritual tourism. An emerging body of literature has reported spiritual tourism and spiritual tourism is one of the pillars of sustainable tourism development (UNWTO, 2015). Religious tourism is a growing segment with significant economic impacts, however, limited research focuses on developing spiritual tourism and none of this in the North of Bali. This research takes a qualitative case study approach …

The Need To Address Religious Diversity At Work: An All-Inclusive Model Of Spirituality At Work, Ivonne Valero Cázares

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis discusses the importance of embracing religion and spirituality in the workplace as an aspect of workplace diversity. This document aims to help us understand the definition of spirituality at the workplace and its constituents.

We conducted a literature review from predominant scholars about the salience of spirituality and religion at the workplace and its relevance to building meaning, connectedness, and a sense of belonging. We will also review Maslow's theory of Human Needs, his research on human peak-experiences, and its correlation to self-actualization and transcendence.

We will present a new model of Spirituality and Religion at the workplace …

Nature’S Optics And Our Understanding Of Light, Michael Berry

Palestine Technical University Research Journal

Optical phenomena visible to everyone abundantly illustrate important ideas in science and mathematics. The phenomena considered include rainbows, sparkling reflections on water, green flashes, earthlight on the moon, glories, daylight, crystals, and the squint moon. The concepts include refraction, wave interference, numerical experiments, asymptotics, Regge poles, polarisation singularities, conical intersections, and visual illusions.

Accurate Determination Of Total Antimony Using Icp-Ms And Optimization Its Extraction Efficiency From Reference And Soil Samples, Sameer Amereih

Palestine Technical University Research Journal

Two independent digestion techniques (microwave acid digestion with HF and HCl, HNO3 and Na2O2 sintering, respectively) were applied to determine the total Sb concentration in a real soil sample and in reference materials: Icelandic Basalt (BIR-1), Cody Shale (SCo-1) and (Soil-7). ICP-MS was used to determine total antimony concentrations in the digested and the extracted solutions using external calibration and isotope dilution technique. The recoveries of Sb using HF in the acids digestion mixture in closed-vessels microwave digestion system were excellent and the concentrations are in very good agreement with certified or reported concentrations of reference materials. Using closed-vessels combined …

درجة توافر مهارات التواصل بلغة الجسد لدى معلمي المدارس الحكومية الأساسية في شمال الضفة الغربية من وجهة نظرهم., Yahya Nada, Fakhrie Mustafa Dweikat

Palestine Technical University Research Journal

هدفت هذه الدراسة إلى تعرفِ درجةِ توافرِ مهارات التواصل بلغةِ الجسدِ لدى معلمي المدارس الحكومية الأساسيةِ في شمال الضفة الغربية من وجهة نظرهم، وفحص تأثير كل من متغيرات (الجنس، المؤهل العلمي، الخبرة العملية، التدريب المسبق) في استجابات معلمي المدارس الحكومية الأساسية في شمال الضفة الغربية نحو درجة توافر مهارات التواصل بلغة الجسد لديهم، تكوّن مجتمع الدراسة من معلمي المدارس الحكومية الأساسية في شمال الضفة الغربية، اختير منهم عينةً عشوائيةً تتكون من (164) معلماً ومعلمةً، واستخدمت الدراسة المنهج الوصفي. بينت نتائجُ الدراسةِ توافر مهارات التواصل بلغة الجسد لدى معلمي المدارس الحكومية الأساسية في شمال الضفة الغربية بدرجةٍ مرتفعةٍ، وعدم وجود فروقٍ …

Design And Construction Of A Biogas Burner, David O. Obada

Palestine Technical University Research Journal

This paper details the design and fabrication of a burner system, operating on biogas, for use in remote or rural regions of developing countries such as Nigeria. A desirable use for such a system in these areas is domestic cooking, and the burner has been designed with this need in mind, focusing on characteristics such as simplicity, cost effectiveness, efficiency and safety. Mild steel, brass and galvanized pipe sourced locally were selected for the construction. An empirical version of Bernoulli’s theorem was used to derive the flow rate of gas. The different components of the burner design were shown. Also …

Economic Performance Of Organic Vs Conventional Vegetables Production In Gaza Strip, Ahmad Shaban

Palestine Technical University Research Journal

Organic farming has achieved significant growth in developing countries. However, it is still in some areas such as Gaza strip at embryonic stage. Introduction and promotion of organic farming would need more information about economic feasibility of shifting from the existing conventional farms to organic farming system. This is the main aim of this study. Data was collected from 100 randomly selected farmers in southern area of Gaza strip using standard questionnaire. Additional focus group discussions were conducted for further qualitative analyses. Data was also collected from the organic farm of Safe Agriculture Association where vegetables are organically produced and …

Rapd For Assessment Of Thymes Genetic Diversity In Palestine, Raed Alkowni

Palestine Technical University Research Journal

Several thymes species were grown in Palestine and have socio-economical values. Traditionally, morphological features are used for their taxonomy and discrimination. However, these methods fail to provide an accurate for discrimination and authentication, suggesting the use of other method inevitable. In this study, RAPD method was used for genotypes identification and characterization of five most socio-economical Palestinian thymes: Thymus syriacus, Thymus fruticosus, Thymus incanus, Thymus majorana, and Thymus capitatus. Eight out of ten decamer primers were tested for their ability to generate polymorphism from selected thyme species using RAPD-PCR, and the obtained data were analyzed. …

Investigation Of The Presence Of Halogenated Bi-Products Formation In The Drinking Water Network In Tulkarm District / Palestine, Saed Khayat, Basel Natsheh, Tahseen Sayara, Nawaf Abukhalaf, Yamen Hamdan

Palestine Technical University Research Journal

The problem of pollutants in drinking water networks is neglected in many places all over the developing countries. This problem is normally caused by either direct pollution source such as organic carbon, or from the maceration pollutants of network materials. The heavy metals in the network facilities and the DOC from the wastewater leakage on the formation of toxic by-product in the water network and the rate of halogenated hydrocarbons formation in the drinking water network was studied. Results showed that water has the same constituents of pollutants similar to that before its being stored for relatively long periods. The …

2022-03-03 Faculty Senate Newsletter, Morehead State University. Faculty Senate.

Faculty Senate Records

Faculty Senate newsletter from March 3, 2022.

2022-03-03 Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes, Morehead State University. Faculty Senate.

Faculty Senate Records

Faculty Senate meeting minutes from March 3, 2022.

Challenges Of The Industrial Revolution Era 1.0 To 5.0 : University Digital Library In Indoensia, Merlin Apriliyanti, Ilham M

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study explains the development of the world of libraries to establish a very close relationship with the world of information technology. For this reason, facilities and infrastructure are needed to facilitate data and information retrieval quickly and accurately. Facing the challenges of the Industrial Revolution 5.0 era by utilizing information technology, libraries must also adapt to the times. Because the library has an important role, among others, as a source of information and the development of knowledge. Used libraries are still conventional to be converted into digital libraries. In essence, this development represents the desire of library users for …

The Impact Of Board And Hotel Characteristics On Biodiversity Reporting: Market Diversification As A Moderator, Edzuwyn F. B. H. Mahyuddin, Mohammad Iranmanesh, Azlan Amran, Behzad Foroughi

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Purpose: This study aims to explain how board and hotel characteristics affect biodiversity reporting and to test the moderating effect of market diversification.

Design/methodology/approach: The annual reports of 105 hotels were examined for the period between 2016 and 2017 to analyse these hotels’ biodiversity reporting using content analysis. The partial least squares technique was used to test the proposed relationships.

Findings: The results show that the number of board members who are also on the corporate social responsibility committee, number of board members who are in environmental organizations, the star rating of the hotel, hotel size and hotel location have …

Vr In Tourism: A New Call For Virtual Tourism Experience Amid And After The Covid-19 Pandemic, Maksim Godovykh, Carissa Baker, Alan Fyall

Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Virtual reality has become a more common phenomenon in both destination marketing and on-site experience. The recent challenges such as overtourism and the COVID-19 pandemic have created a pressing need to examine virtual tourism as an alternative to traditional travel. This conceptual article aims at clarifying virtual experience in tourism, discussing the main antecedents and outcomes of virtual experience, and proposing a conceptual model of virtual tourism experience. The review of the literature revealed that virtual experience in tourism is influenced by factors related to information, quality, technology acceptance, and affective involvement and has significant effects on tourists' attitudes and …

2022 March, Morehead State University. Office Of Communications & Marketing.

Morehead State Press Release Archive, 1961 to the Present

Press releases for March of 2022.

The Application Of Virtual Reality In Firefighting Training, Dylan A. Gagnon

Theses and Dissertations

Immersive simulations such as virtual reality is becoming more prevalent for use in training environments for many professions. United States Air Force firefighters may benefit from incorporating VR technology into their training program to increase organizational commitment, job satisfaction, self-efficacy, and job performance. With implementing a new training platform, it is also important to understand the relationship between these variables and the perceived benefits and efficacy of the VR training, which has not yet been studied in previous research. This study addresses this issue by gathering data from fire departments currently fielding a VR fire training platform.

Contributions Of Agricultural Subsidies To Increase Producer Income In Cotton And Milk Productions: A Case Study Of Hatay Province-Turkey, Ahmet D. Çelik

The Philippine Agricultural Scientist

Agricultural production is subsidized at different levels depending on the country's development status. The budget that was allocated for agricultural subsidies in Turkey in 2020 was around 22 billion TL (Turkish Lira) which was equal to 3.14 billion USD. In this study, the contribution of agricultural subsidies to product income and gross profit value was examined specifically on cotton as crop production and dairy cattle as animal production. According to the research results, agricultural subsidies increased production value by 30.70% in cotton and 4% in milk income. Those increased rates also significantly increased the gross profit values of the products. …

The Resilience Of Diversified Clusters: Reconfiguring Commodity Networks In Rural China During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Zhanping Hu, Qian Forrest Zhang

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

We conceptualize typical rural communities in China as diversified economic clusters. In normal times, economic actors in these communities rarely cooperate with each other, but are integrated into separate commodity chains. These “diversified clusters”, however, show resilience and flexibility when an external shock—the COVID-19 pandemic—disrupts the spatial connections throughout the existing commodity chains. In this study, we use primary field data collected from one typical rural community in Northern China to show how economic diversity, aided by social networks and space-shrinking technologies, allowed for the vertical commodity chains to be reconfigured temporarily into localized horizontal commodity networks to cope with …

Structural Shifts In Food Basket Composition Of Rural And Urban Philippines: Implications For The Food Supply System, Subir Bairagi, Yacob Zereyesus, Sampriti Baruah, Samarendu Mohanty

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Faculty Publications and Presentations

Empirical evidence on the responsiveness and sensitivities of food consumption to its drivers is vital for conducting economic studies. Despite recent attempts to provide such estimates, much empirical work remains to be done considering the prevailing shifts in consumption trends in the Philippines. Price and expenditure elasticities are estimated for seven food categories for rural and urban Filipino households, using Stone–Lewbel (SL) price indices and the quadratic almost-ideal demand system (QUAIDS) model. We used multiple years (2006, 2009, 2012, 2015, and 2018) of the Philippines Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES) to estimate the food demand system. The results show …

Social Media And Marketing As A Means Of Planning And Promoting The 2022 Camp Polyhacks Hackathon, Amy Gillham, Olivia Gerraty, Elizabeth Anderson

Communication Studies

The recruitment of attendees and promotion of Camp PolyHacks, an annual Hackathon hosted by Cal Poly, required marketing strategies which were informed by relevant communication theories applied to event marketing campaign strategies. The theories utilized included Social Marketing Theory (SMT), Uncertainty Reduction Theory (URT), Consistency Theory (CT), and elements of persuasion and visual communication. The marketing strategies used by the Camp PolyHacks 2022 Marketing and Social Media team included social media marketing in the form of Instagram posts, stories, and direct messages, and external marketing in the form of presentations, emails, booths, and posters. This paper examines the utility of …

How Augmented Reality Can - And Can't - Help Your Brand, Chandukala, Sandeep R., Karempudi Srinivas Reddy, Yong-Chin Tan

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Customers want AR. But managers must have a proper understanding of how AR can help their brand before they invest in the technology. AR helps in entertaining and educating customers while also aiding them in evaluating products. AR can also promote online channel adoption while also encouraging category expansion. AR also benefits products that are less popular, less mainstream, and more expensive. But AR can also be expensive, time-consuming, and difficult to implement. Despite consumer demand, retailers must understand the costs and challenges associated with AR adoption before embarking on significant projects.

Promoting Ecotourism To Millennials Through Social Media, Melissa Clark, Paul Clark, Michael Latta

The Coastal Business Journal

This paper explores how coastal ecotourism marketers can utilize social media to effectively market to millennials. Coastal Tourism is one of four types of ecotourism identified by Honey and Krantz (2007) in their study Global Trends in Coastal Tourism sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund. An online survey of university students from the millennial generation was utilized. Findings indicate that millennials are interested in ecotourism and gather information about it from friends and social media. They check their accounts several times a day and usually from their smartphones. They would choose an ecotourism destination if money were not an issue. …

Small Business Identity And Entrepreneurial Identity In A Destination Resort Town: Are Birds Of A Feather Flocking To The Beach?, Janice A. Black, Carol Megehee, Frances H. Fabian

The Coastal Business Journal

Identities can be considered an intangible resource when they support the competitive advantage of a firm. Some work has shown that the context of an organization matters but will that hold true at a beach location filled with large numbers of micro-businesses and small businesses where entrepreneurs and small business owners engage their world both as individuals and as organizations? We examine the literature on identity and utilize a zoomorphic metaphor to elicit unbiased understandings of the coherence or dissonance of entrepreneurial and organizational identities. We found some intriguing results showing unexpected similarities and an affinity for coherent identities.

Distribution And Movements Of Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus) Along The Northern South Carolina Coast: A Research Partnership With Ecotourism, Courtney N. Dunn, Dani C. Silva, Emily P. Deborde, Robert F. Young

The Coastal Business Journal

Assessments of bottlenose dolphin stocks rely on current information about the distribution and abundance of specific populations. We partnered with two ecotourism dolphin watch businesses to investigate bottlenose dolphins along the northern South Carolina coast. The temporal and spatial distribution of dolphins was examined by comparing dorsal fin images from research-based surveys with photo-identification efforts from commercial dolphin watch groups. Matches between survey locations and times revealed patterns of seasonal residency, potential migratory dispersal between seasons, and variable patterns for home range size. An enhanced understanding of the structure of local populations will contribute to the management of local fisheries, …

Importance-Performance Analysis Of Relocation Attributes In The Coastal Carolina Region, Bomi Kang, Kimberly Warne, Kay Keels

The Coastal Business Journal

Domestic migration to the Carolina coastal region has increased dramatically between 2005 and 2009. This influx has spurred substantial increases in the demand for housing, support services, employment and infrastructure. The continued increase in such services is dependent upon on-going financial support which, in turn, is contingent upon the stability and/or continued growth of the population in this region. This study identifies the social and economic factors considered to be important by these in-migrants as well as their perceptions of how well these factors perform. In addition, the study addresses the relationship between community attachment and individual migration intent. The …

Agri-Tainment: Combining Agriculture And Entertainment Along The Grand Strand, Mark Mitchell, L. Taylor Damonte, Darla J. Domke-Damonte

The Coastal Business Journal

This paper provides an overview of the benefits sought by consumers from Agri-tainment venues and the challenges of establishing such venues. The paper begins by defining Agri-tainment, and providing examples of established Agri-tainment venues across the United States and within the Grand Strand area of South Carolina. It then provides a series of Supporting Statements regarding likely benefits and Cautionary Statements associated with Agri-tainment, and concludes with potential resources for expanding the offering of Agri-tainment venues along the Grand Strand.

Service Quality Analysis Of Tokopedia Application Using Text Mining Method, Debby Kania Bustami, Siska Noviaristanti

International Journal of Management, Finance and Accounting

Shopping transformation using online applications makes it easier for sellers and buyers to make transactions. In Indonesia, there are several shopping applications, Tokopedia is one of them. Tokopedia is one of the shopping applications developed in Indonesia. To ensure users’ loyalty to the Tokopedia application, quality analysis is done to determine how the application could be improved or developed. This study applied the Quality Measurement Theory to examine the mobile shopping application service quality with three variables: interaction quality, environmental quality, and outcome quality. The data used in this study are users’ reviews of the Tokopedia application on the Google …

Three Essays On Behaviors In Crowdsourcing Communities, Ali Simaei Gargari

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Over the last decade, the interest in studying crowdsourcing platforms has dramatically increased among researchers in the information systems (IS) area. My dissertation includes three essays on crowdsourcing. The first essay provides an extensive literature review on crowdsourcing and shows several gaps in the literature. The second essay highlights the gaps in the literature on innovation contest platforms and draws on the organizational learning literature to fill the gaps. In this research, I draw on the organizational learning literature to study the undelying dynamics of specialization and variation in innovation contest platforms. Using data of nearly 35000 users' participation history …