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The objective of this study was to test the effect of far-field industrial (i.e., man-made) versus biological analogies on creativity of business professionals from two organizations engaged in the idea generation phase of new product development. Psychological effects, as reflected in language use, were measured via computerized text analysis of transcribed audio recordings of ideation sessions. Effects on quality of product concepts generated by participants were measured via analysis of 15 judges' multidimensional creativity ratings. Though psychological effects were undetectable, results suggest presenting new product development professionals with biological analogies as ideation stimulus increases novelty and may increase elegance of solutions generated. Presenting far-field industrial analogies increases relevance and effectiveness of solutions generated. This study serves as a source of evidence that biomimicry (design by analogy to biology) is an effective approach to product innovation. It also shows that there is an important role for far-field industrial analogies in stimulating ideas during new product development. A strategically designed brainstorming session should prime innovators with both far-field industrial and biological analogies to generate maximally creative ideas.

The framers of the Public Procurement Law envisaged to streamline how public procurement should be conducted in order to realize value for money in public procuring entities. The primary objective of the research thus was to determine the effect of green procurement on service delivery of County Governments in Western Region, Kenya. The study adopted a positivist research approach and was informed by ecological modernization theory. The study was conducted in Western Region, Kenya in the Counties of Kakamega, Busia, Vihiga, and Bungoma. The study's target population of 228 officials was broken down into chief officers, directors, finance officers, and procurement officers. The study selected 174 participants as its sample. Primary data was gathered through interview schedules and a questionnaire. A pilot study was carried out to test for validity and reliability. The data analysis made use of both descriptive and inferential statistics. SPSS version 26 was used to analyse quantitative data while qualitative data was analysed thematically alongside study objectives. Green procurement was found to be a significant predictor of service delivery in County Governments. Specifically the study's findings showed that Green Procurement explains 23% of variation in service delivery of County Governments in western Kenya Region. Green Procurement had unstandardized regression value of 0.368. This suggested that County Governments in the Western Region, Kenya will boost the delivery of services by 36.8% for each additional unit in green procurement. The study came to the conclusion that there is need for the County Governments to ensure legislation, enforcement and adherence to environmental laws and policies.

Discusses how, as they struggle to improve academically and manage their facilities and finances more effectively, some school systems--especially large urban districts--are seeking out leaders with business expertise outside the field of education. Includes sidebars on one such leader and on schools that have chosen this path. (EV)

This paper discusses the outcomes of an exploratory study into the obstacles posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and a post-COVID recovery in the South African educational tourism sector. By reviewing the challenges and the key technological innovations developed and implemented during the pandemic, this study established that, while the COVID-19 restrictions significantly impacted the viability of every business in the edutourism sector, the use of important technological platforms (like social media, virtual reality, mobile apps, computer-based technology and virtual reality/augmented reality [VR/AR]) helped the sector remain resilient. However, the current paucity of empirical data in this regard suggests an investigation, the motivation for the current study, which assumes an inductive approach. This paper highlights the challenges, trends and prospects of COVID-19-related revival strategies for South Africa’s edutourism sector, with the ensuing debates contributing to increasing academic debates on the subject, while highlighting both practical policy-related input and theoretical contributions.

Purpose – This article intends to analyse the explanatory power of the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI) and some of its constituent factors on national success metrics in managing the initial surge of the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach – The authors study the outbreak control effectiveness of 132 countries during the first semester of 2020. The authors apply generalized linear regression models and weighted least squares models using 6 COVID-19-related dependent variables, 9 TTCI-related independent variables and 12 control variables. Findings – The results suggest that countries with superior TTCI values and selected constituent factors have the highest daily averages of coronavirus infections and fatalities per million and the highest speed rates of COVID-19 spread. The authors also find that these countries have the shortest government response time, the lowest daily average of the social restrictions index and the shortest time from the first case reported in China to the first case reported nationally. Originality/value – To the best of the authors' awareness, no previous study exists analysing the statistical relationship between the TTCIB and some of its constituent factors with the selected metrics of national success at managing the initial surge of the COVID-19 pandemic. This fact represents the primary evidence of this article's unique contribution. 研究目的 – 本文擬分析旅行及觀光競爭力指數、以及其部份構成因素，如何影響有關國家在新型冠狀病毒肺炎大爆發初期控制病毒傳播方面的成功指標。 研究設計/方法/理念 – 我們就132個國家於2020年上半年控制肺炎爆發方面的表現進行研究。我們以廣義線性回歸模型和加權最小平方法進行分析研究，當中使用了六個與新型冠狀病毒肺炎有關的因變數、九個與旅行及觀光競爭力指數有關的自變數、和12個控制變量。 研究結果 – 研究結果暗示、在擁有優越的旅行及觀光競爭力指數值和選定的構成因素的國家，以百萬人來計算，每日冠狀病毒感染及死亡的平均數字是最高的; 而且，新型冠狀病毒肺炎的傳播速度也是最高的。研究結果亦顯示、在這些國家，政府反應所需的時間是最短的，社會限制指數的日均值是最低的，以及首宗在中國被報導的個案與首宗在有關的國家被全國性地報導的個案之間的時間距是最短的。 研究的原創性/價值 – 盡作者們所知，從前似沒有相關的研究、以國家在新型冠狀病毒肺炎大爆發初期成功控制病毒傳播的選定指數、來分析旅行及觀光競爭力指數與其部分構成因素之間的統計關係; 這正是本文所作獨特貢獻的基本證據。

The inappropriateness in use of public monies has been cited as a major distractor towards achievement of development goals enshrined in our constitution. It has been largely attributed to the procurement practices adopted. The main objective of this study was to determine effects of information technology on service delivery of County governments in western Kenya region. The target population for this study entailed 228 officers who were categorized into chief officers, Directors, Finance officers and procurement officers. This study employed stratified random sampling towards picking a sample of 174 respondents. Information technology from the findings of this study had a significant effect on the delivery of services among counties in western Kenya region. Particularly, as Information technology changes by one unit, service delivery changes by 0.309 units units (β2=0.309, P

AbstractThe paper investigates how income diversification and capital adequacy affect the liquidity creation of banks in Kenya. We employed unbalanced panel data from 36 commercial banks from 2001 to 2020. We extracted data from published banks’ financial reports and statements. The study used the broad and narrow measures to measure liquidity creation. Owing to the persistent nature of liquidity creation, we used a dynamic panel model and a two-step system Generalized Method of Moments (SYS GMM) in the analysis. The findings suggest a positive linkage exists between income diversification and the liquidity creation of commercial banks, implying that well-diversified banks have a high level of liquidity creation and vice versa. However, the study discovered a negative relationship between capital adequacy and liquidity creation, supporting the financial fragility-crowding out hypothesis. Consequently, the study suggests that the diversification drive in banks must be reinforced to enhance their liquidity creation. Additionally, due to the tradeoff between capital adequacy and liquidity creation, an optimal level of capital is required to provide a buffer against shocks without negatively impacting liquidity creation, a crucial channel through which banks contribute to the economy.

Despite noteworthy advancement of theoretical and practical knowledge of social media eWord-of-Mouth with evidence from prior empirical research, the influences consumers’ purchase intentions of commercialised indigenous fruits products in fast moving consumer goods retailers remains unexplored in academic domain. Therefore, the purpose of the study is to examining the role of social media word-of-mouth on consumers’ purchase intentions of commercialised indigenous fruits products in fast moving consumer goods retailers. It is based on a nomothetic quantitative methodology, where a survey was applied to collect responses from consumers of commercialized indigenous fruits products in selected fast moving consumer goods retailers in Marondera town, in Mashonaland East province of Zimbabwe. The structural equation modelling validated results confirm that quality, source credibility, usefulness of information and information adoption have influence on social media electronic word-of-mouth on consumers’ purchase intentions of commercialised indigenous fruits products in fast moving consumer goods retailers. In line with the current research results, complementary cross-sectional studies using the same methodology in different geographical areas in the same focus can be applied to check for relevancy, reliability and applicability. However, the current study, originally contributes to digital marketing, information communication technologies or information systems and food marketing practice and theory building. Further to this, it provides researchers with an agenda for future research directions.

The relevance of corporate environmental, social, and governance performance (ESG) has increased significantly during the last few years. The airline industry is susceptible to such environmental, social, and governance practices, which explains its selection for the analysis purposes in this study. This paper analyzes the influence of the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index and its constituent factors on environmental, social, and governance performance variables in a sample of leading airline companies worldwide with historical data available from 2013 to 2019. The study required analyzing panel data using a panel-corrected standard error model. The results suggest that airlines headquartered in countries with ideal conditions for operating businesses and outstanding information and communication technology readiness show excellent environmental, social, and governance performance. However, the findings also imply that airline companies headquartered in countries with heavy government influence on the airline industry sector measured by the government prioritization of the domestic travel and tourism sector have poor environmental, social, and governance performance. Similarly, the analysis provided evidence that countries well positioned to join national air service arrangements and subscribe to regional trade agreements have airline companies with excellent environmental, social, and governance performance metrics. The reported results can be priceless for policymakers designing national travel and tourism policies to enhance domestic airline firms’ environmental, social, and governance performance.

This study considers tourists' perspectives on the Critical Success Factors for guided tours in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. Guided tours and tourism destinations are inseparable, with such guided tours often being sought after for their power to improve tourist satisfaction and envisioned to enhance visitors' experience and impact tourism growth at destinations. The success of such guided tours is often premised on several factors, which when present, would influence visitors' propensity to recommend, revisit and make future destination choices. Such factors play a critical role in determining whether visitors would consider guided or self-led excursions. Understanding the Critical Success Factors for guided tours is essential as it makes it easier for tourism suppliers to channel efforts toward tourist satisfaction. Using a structured questionnaire, 451 tourists participating in guided tours in the Western Cape Province of South Africa were surveyed to ascertain the Critical Success Factors for guided tours. The study revealed that safety, knowledgeable guides, and pricing remain critical in the success of guided tours. The study highlights the critical factors considered essential for the success of guided excursions and the areas that require improvement. Following an analysis of the study’s findings, recommendations for effective guided tours for the tourism industry were proposed.

Discusses how colleges and universities are improving their housing, dining, and other services to make campuses more appealing to students. Bringing consumer options to campus and creating a sense of community for the students are explored. (GR)

Reviews how technologically enhanced ID cards are helping colleges and universities keep their students and staff safe. The benefits of a one-card system for identification, building access, and financial transactions are highlighted as are the liberal use of security phones and security cameras. (GR)

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine monetary policies and bank lending in the emerging economies of Sub-Sahara Africa. Design/methodology/approach – The dynamic system-generalized method of moments (GMM) that overcomes issues of unobserved period and country-specific effects, as well as potential endogeneity of explanatory variables, is applied in the estimation exercise. The study uses the data for 80 banks across 20 Sub-Saharan African countries from 2010 to 2019. Findings – The findings show that expansionary monetary policy such as an increase in money supply stimulates bank lending, while contractionary monetary policies like increase in the monetary policy rates by the central banks lead to credit contraction, albeit a weak effect due to possible underdevelopment of financial markets, institutional constraints, bank concentration and other rigidities in the system characteristic of developing countries that undermine the effectiveness of monetary policy transmission. Capital adequacy ratio and size of economic activities are other variables that significantly influence bank lending channels. Practical Implication – Sub-Sahara Africa countries can enhance the effectiveness of monetary policy transmission on bank lending through the effective use of the transmission mechanism of changes in money supply and monetary policy rate. Originality/value – While greater empirical attention has been devoted to the nexus between monetary policies and macroeconomic variables in country-specific studies, the connection between monetary policies and bank lending at an extensive regional or cross-country level is still scanty. For Sub-Saharan Africa, there is a palpable lack of empirical evidence on this. This study, therefore, seeks to fill this gap in a region where the impact of monetary policies on credit intermediation is crucial to the economic diversification efforts of the governments of Sub-Sahara Africa.

This study considered the key success factors (KSFs) for participants in sport tourism events, with a specific focus on the views of participants of the Cape Town Cycle Tour (CTCT). Adopting a quantitative approach and utilising systematic sampling, n=598 cyclists were sampled in both the mountain biking (n=218) and the road cycling (n=380) categories, through self-administered questionnaires at event registration venues between February and March 2019. The data were analysed using SPSS via a factor analysis. Of the 49 identified elements, eight corresponding KSFs emerged. Key findings highlighted the non-homogenous nature of the respective participant groups and noted differences in the rating of four of the eight KSFs. While road cyclists were noted to be seekers of fully rounded event experience, mountain bikers preferred to participate in activities promoting exploration and adventure. Importantly, the study highlights that understanding KSFs might assist concerned stakeholders with stimulating sport tourism participation through the hosting of tailor-made events for participants who might be more selective in their desires when travelling and participating in sport events. Insights from the study should prove crucial in attracting both new and previous participants, particularly considering the context of the COVID19 pandemic that significantly hampered participation at such events.

Risk monitoring and control is often poorly implemented in construction projects because of a failure to monitor and manage identified risks. Construction companies experience significant losses due to project managers' lack of project risk monitoring and control in construction projects. Most studies have concentrated on risk identification, risk assessment, and risk analysis processes while neglecting crucial risk management processes of risk control, risk monitoring, and risk response. The lack of research on these three crucial processes highlights a gap in the literature concerning how these processes can increase the delivery of successful projects. The purpose of this study was to examine whether the utilization of project risk monitoring and control practices was related to project success in construction projects in the United States. An electronic survey instrument was used to collect data from a sample of 50 construction project managers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in the state of Texas, in the United States. Spearman rho correlation analysis was used to examine the relationship between project risk monitoring and control practices and project success. The results of this study indicated that all project risk monitoring and control practices, including risk reassessment, risk audits, contingency reserves analysis, and risk status meetings, were significantly and positively related to project success in construction projects. One of the recommendations presented in this study was that future research should conduct the same study in developing countries to see if the study’s findings remain the same and generalizable. The study concluded that construction organizations should regularly consider the importance and usage of project risk monitoring and control practices and apply them to improve the success rate of a project.

The phenomenon of underpricing occurs in most of the world’s capital markets, including Indonesia, but with varying degrees. This paper discusses underpricing analysis of the non-financial corporations that underbid prime shares in the Indonesia stock exchange, and aims to prove the underpricing phenomenon of non-finance companies that underpricing the initial public offering by 2014-2018 while studying the factors influencing it. The methodology used to this study is quantitative method, use multiple regression in the calculations. The variable under study is financial leverage, underwriter’s reputation, and company size. The results of the tests prove that of all three variables, only one variable has no effect on underpricing is financial leverage. The variable reputation of underwriter and company size both have a partial negative effect on underpricing, and simultaneously these three variables effect on underpricing. A good and experienced underwriter reputation guarantees investors about determining the best price for the initial public offering at the time of the IPO (Initial Public Offering). The size of the company is a consideration for investors to invest in a company by using the amount of its total assets as a basis for making investment decisions

This study seeks to unpack the implications that the COVID-19 pandemic has placed on the South African domestic tourism market. In particular, the study considers how, given the negative impacts that have been felt with international travel being largely restricted, many destinations who traditionally rely on tourism will approach domestic tourism post the restrictions. Given South Africa’s previous aggressive campaigns which sought to promote domestic tourism in the country, the value of this focus area cannot be overlooked. The need for empirical research that assesses the attitudes of people regarding travel and tourism beyond the pandemic in a country that has been one of the hardest-hit on the African continent is equally important in this respect. Data for the study was sourced from interviews with key informant personnel in the domain of tourism coupled with an online questionnaire survey that was collected from respondents through the Google Forms Application. The key findings from the study reveal that a majority of the respondents were generally satisfied with the management of the pandemic in the country and were willing to wait until all restrictions were lifted before travelling again. Moreover, many of the respondents felt that they would likely travel more domestically in order to assist the tourism industry recover post-COVID-19 and would actively help market the country to friends and relatives in assisting with the recovery marketing initiatives. However, major concerns were raised about the financial possibilities of the domestic tourists as well as the lack of effective communication and cooperation between the private sector and the government regarding tourism’s recovery plan.

Risk audit is often poorly implemented in construction projects because of the absence of constant auditing of risks by construction project managers. Construction companies are experiencing large financial deficits because of managers failing to audit and monitor project risks. The purpose of this study was to examine whether the utilization of risk audit correlates with project success in construction projects. An electronic survey instrument was used to collect data from a sample of 50 construction project managers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas in the United States. Spearman's rho correlational analysis and simple logistic regressions were used to examine the relationship between risk audit and project success. The results of this study indicated that there is a positive and significant association between risk audit and project success in terms of schedule performance, cost performance, customer satisfaction, and business success. One of the recommendations presented in this study was to expand the study to developing countries to see whether the findings from the study remain the same. The study concluded that construction organizations should regularly consider the importance and usage of risk audit techniques to improve the success rate of a project.

Neuronal cell death in subpopulations of brains affected by Huntington’s disease has been theorised to be due to cell cytotoxicity. The cause of this cytotoxicity, however, is not yet known. One mutant allele of the Huntingtin gene is sufficient to cause the disorder through the synthesis of the Huntingtin protein. Despite the ubiquitous expression of the HTT gene, expansion of the polyglutamine (polyQ) tract in HTT leads to progressive cell death in affected brains, predominantly in the basal ganglia. The polyQ of the protein expressed when this mutant gene is translated has shown to increase the chance of protein aggregates forming. In the Centre for Genomic Regulation, the transformation and study of S.cerevisiae cells have demonstrated a positive correlation between the number of polyQ repeats and the number of protein aggregates that develop within cells. This was evident in the Western Blot and confocal microscopic images. An extra protein band in the Western Blot indicated protein aggregation in the well with the highest number of CAG repeats, implying that with more repeats, the higher the propensity for aggregation. The growth observed in these cells was slower, indicating the inextricable link between aggregation and cytotoxicity within cells. The detrimental effect of protein aggregation is known, therefore the methods that will be proposed will consist of preventing or reducing protein aggregation within cells. HTT is a functional protein, essential to brain development and neuronal survival and thus, by targeting only the aggregates, the functionality of the protein is not affected. Harnessing the essential role of molecular chaperones in promoting the refolding of proteins within cells will form the main body in discussing a therapeutic approach to Huntington’s disease; by studying the aggregation propensity in different concentrations of a molecular chaperone, the effectiveness of the molecule can be investigated. Following the results, a discussion on how effectively this method combats aggregation will follow. This discussion depends on the cytotoxicity that remains in the cells studied.

This study examined the relationship between corporate governance and the financial performance of insurance firms in Kenya over the period 2013–2018. The data were collected from 51 Insurance firms licensed to operate in Kenya as of 31 December 2018. Regression analysis was used and the results showed that corporate governance significantly affects the financial performance of insurance firms. In particular, the findings showed that board composition negatively and significantly affects financial performance. This implied that insurance firms with a bigger ratio of non-executive directors do not perform better than those with a less proportion of non-executive directors. Insurance firms should therefore reduce the ratio of non-executive directors in order to achieve better performance. The results also showed that board diversity positively and significantly affects financial performance. This implied that insurance firms with a bigger ratio of professional directors perform better than the firms with less proportion of professional directors to the board. Insurance firms should therefore engage more professional directors in order to provide professional guidance and enhance financial performance. The findings also indicated that board independence positively and significantly affects financial performance. This implied that firms with a bigger ratio of independent directors perform better than those with a smaller proportion of independent directors. Insurance firms should thus ensure that the board has an adequate number of independent directors in order to ensure independent or unbiased board decisions that will boost financial performance. The results also indicated that board size negatively and significantly affects financial performance. This implied that firms with bigger board sizes do not perform better than firms with smaller board sizes. The board size should thus be smaller to ensure efficiency and effectiveness of the board and better financial performance. This study concludes that proper corporate governance structure significantly affects the performance of a firm. Therefore, the study recommends that directors and other stakeholders should put in place appropriate governance structures in order to boost financial performance. Regulators and policymakers should also come up with policies and regulations that will ensure firms adopt appropriate governance structures to enhance performance. This study contributes to corporate governance literature by providing insight on the effect of corporate governance on performance from a developing country perspective. The study also provides an empirical examination of the effect of the various governance structures adopted by insurance firms and gives recommendations that can be utilized by policymakers in assessing and reviewing corporate governance policies. The study also gives recommendations to managers and other stakeholders regarding the board structure that can be adopted to boost the performance of a firm.