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School environments in Finland are changing from traditional classrooms towards more flexible architectures. This change invites designers and commercial organizations to take part in re-thinking these environments by creating narratives of desirable educational environments. Their comprehensive furniture solutions promise flexible entities, including components that facilitate sharing and joining together. This article describes the school architecture reform from the perspective of one local school. We focus on an element emblematic of the planned relaxed learning environment: sofas, and discuss these using the philosophical concept of assemblage. We propose that arriving in the everyday life of a school the comfortable sofa – the promise of relaxation – also begins to participate in and to produce negotiations of power. Sofa becomes a participant in an assemblage of school: the sofa brings to surface relations that everyday life school assemblages already foster and sustain, making the negotiations of power in the school visible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This article analyses the effect of the WTO membership on commercial services exports (CSE) for 25 article XII members over the period 2005–2019. • WTO article XII members are countries that joined the WTO under article XII of the marrakesh agreement establishing the WTO. • The analysis has used the two-stage probit least squares estimator and the two-step system generalized method of moments estimators. • Results have revealed that the WTO membership led to higher CSE and promoted services export diversification in article XII members. • There are heterogenous effects of the WTO membership on CSE performance among article XII members relatively to non-article XII WTO Members. The literature on the trade effects of the membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO) has essentially focused on trade in goods, including goods exports. The present analysis has investigated the effect of the WTO membership on commercial services exports for 25 Article XII Members (i.e., countries that joined the WTO under Article XII of the Marrakesh Agreement establishing the WTO) over the period from 2005 to 2019. Results, based on the two-stage probit least squares estimator have revealed that the WTO membership increased significantly commercial services exports, including both modern and traditional services exports in Article XII members, and promoted services export diversification. Using the two-step system generalized method of moments estimator, the analysis has shown heterogenous effects of the membership in the WTO on commercial services export performance among Article XII Members relatively to Non-Article XII WTO Members. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThe significant increase in profits generated by platforms has sparked considerable debate regarding the nature of this income. These discussions center on two perspectives: the value-creating perspective suggests that their profits result from new forms of exploitation in the platform economy, while the rent perspective argues that the platforms extract and transfer value from other value-creating activities. While the latter perspective acknowledges that platforms do not directly engage in value creation, it fails to analyze their functions from the standpoint of Marxian circulation theory. Viewed from this standpoint, platforms represent a new form of commercial capital that propels circulation. Through their capacity to collect and process user behavior data, they attain a higher level of centralization than traditional commercial organizations, and extract value created by productive activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research focuses on examining the responses of interest groups listed in the European Transparency Register to the ongoing Russia–Ukraine war. Its aim is to investigate the nuanced reactions of 2579 commercial and business associations and 2957 companies and groups to the recent conflict, as expressed through their X (Twitter) activities. Utilizing advanced text mining and NLP and LDA techniques, this study conducts a comprehensive analysis encompassing language dynamics, thematic shifts, sentiment variations, and activity levels exhibited by these entities both before and after the outbreak of the war. The results obtained reflect a gradual decrease in negative emotions regarding the conflict over time. Likewise, multiple forms of outside lobbying are identified in the communication strategies of interest groups. All in all, this empirical inquiry into how interest groups adapt their messaging in response to complex geopolitical events holds the potential to provide invaluable insights into the multifaceted role of lobbying in shapi ng public policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examine the frequency and cost of procedural clearance tests and examinations in preparation for low-risk cataract surgery among members of a commercial healthcare organization in the United States. Determine what characteristics most strongly predict receipt of preoperative care and the probability that preoperative care impacts postsurgical adverse events. Retrospective healthcare claims analysis and medical records review from a large, blended-health organization headquartered in Western Pennsylvania. Members aged ≥ 65 years who were continuously enrolled 6 months before and after undergoing cataract surgery from 2018 to 2021 and had approved surgery claims. Preoperative exams or tests occurring in the 30 days before surgery were identified via procedural and diagnosis codes on claims of eligible members (e.g., Current Procedural Terminology codes for blood panels and preprocedural International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, Clinical Modification codes). Prevalence and cost were directly estimated from claims; variables predictive of preoperative care receipt and adverse events were tested using mixed effects modeling. Total costs, prevalence, and strength of association as indicated by odds ratios. Up to 42% of members undergoing cataract surgery had a physician office visit for surgical clearance, and up to 23% of members had testing performed in isolation or along with clearance visits. The combined costs for the preoperative visits and tests were $4.3 million (approximately $107–$114 per impacted member). There was little difference in member characteristics between those receiving and not receiving preoperative testing or exams. Mixed effects models showed that the most impactful determinants of preoperative care were the surgical facility and member's care teams; for preoperative testing, facilities were a stronger predictor than care teams. Adverse events were rare and unassociated with receipt of preoperative testing, exams, or a combination of the two. Rates of routine preoperative testing before cataract surgery appear similar to those prior to the implementation of the Choosing Wisely campaign, which was meant to reduce this use. Additionally, preoperative evaluations, many likely unnecessary, were common. Further attention to and reconsideration of current policies and practice for preoperative care may be warranted, especially at the facility level. The author(s) have no proprietary or commercial interest in any materials discussed in this article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Each year, over 45,000 metric tons of waste are generated in US national parks through a variety of means, including park operations, visitation, and other sources. In an effort to address these impacts, the National Park Service (NPS) has partnered with commercial and non-profit organizations to implement the Zero Landfill Initiative (ZLI). The goal of the ZLI is to realize a steady decrease in waste generated in parks, and an increase in materials being sent for recycling. Through this initiative and aligning research, efforts to mitigate waste and recycling issues with visitors is underway; however, to date there have been no attempts to understand the perspectives of those individuals who manage these parks on a daily basis. This study explored Theory of Planned Behavior-based constructs regarding disposal of waste and recycling using surveys with NPS employees and park concession staff in Yosemite, Grand Teton, and Denali National Parks. Results indicate that perceived difficulty and moral norms related to disposal of waste and recycling are significant drivers of self-reported behavior and intent with NPS and concession staff. Generally, concession staff perceptions align with the goals of ZLI more than those of NPS staff. This research adds to the limited understanding of land manager perceptions, and results provide justification for future messaging and trainings that could improve sustainable management of these and other NPS units in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, the dynamism caused by constant changes to strategic decisions in markets poses an additional difficulty in an organization's management. The strategic decisions made by managers can easily become obsolete. One of the major difficulties in managing a commercial organization is predicting, with some precision, the impact some strategic decisions have on the financial results. Business intelligence (BI) is widely used to help managers make strategic decisions. However, the methods used to achieve the conclusions are kept secret by BI company-based services. Modeling the environment may help predict the impact of an action in a real environment. A good model should provide the most accurate result of an applied action in a given environment. Artificial neural networks (ANNs) are proven to be excellent in modeling environments with very high data noise. The same strategic action can have different results when applied to different organizations. A tool that allows the evaluation of an applied strategic action in an environment will be of great importance in the field of management. Modeling the environment will save time and money for the organization, allowing the performance of the strategic plan to be improved. If one evaluates the state of the environment after a certain strategic action is applied, it can be possible to mitigate its risk of failure. As we will verify, it is possible to use ANNs to model strategic environments, allowing precision in the prediction of sales and operating results using particular strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifying the spatial association between commercial sites and residences is important for urban planning. However, (1) the patterns of spatial association between commercial sites and residences across an urban space and (2) how the spatial association patterns of each commercial format and different levels of residences vary remain unclear. To address these gaps, this study used point-of-interest data of commercial sites and residences in Beijing, China, to calculate colocation quotients, which were used for identifying the spatial association characteristics and patterns of commercial sites and residences in the city. The results show that (1) the global colocation quotient of commercial sites and residences in Beijing is below 1, indicating relatively weak spatial association. The spatial association between each commercial format and residences varies greatly and shows the characteristics of integration of high-frequency consumption and separation of low-frequency consumption. Additionally, the spatial associations between high-grade residences and commercial formats are relatively weak, whereas those between low-grade residences and commercial formats are relatively strong. (2) The local spatial association patterns of various commercial formats and residences exhibit obvious spatial heterogeneity. Overall, the proportions of various commercial formats attracted by residences are considerably higher than those of residences attracted by various commercial formats, revealing spatial asymmetry. Within the Fourth Ring Road, commercial formats are mainly attracted by residences, showing a spatial association pattern of "distribute commercial sites according to the location of residences". The proportions of residences attracted by commercial formats increase outside the Fourth Ring Road, presenting a spatial association pattern of "commercial formats attracting residences". The findings offer valuable insights into the development mechanisms of commercial and residential spaces and provide valuable information for urban planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the ubiquitous use of smartphones and social media poses serious risks to the privacy of users, research is sparse regarding how users perceive these risks. We present a study investigating the perception of e-privacy risks, assuming that risk perception depends on context and situation, and employing a facet theory approach to define and analyze privacy risk perceptions. Specifically, we define three facets that characterize situations involving an e-privacy risk: Facet A refers to the type of data disclosed, distinguishing three types: a person's identity information, information about health, and information about private activities. Facet B refers to the type of actor misusing the information, distinguishing between commercial organizations, public authorities, social networks, and criminal actors. Facet C distinguishes three kinds of harm that might be experienced as a consequence: financial loss, physical harm, and negative psycho-social experiences. Questionnaire items were constructed by creating fictitious but realistic scenarios, each representing a combination of one element from each facet, yielding 36 (3 × 4 × 3) scenarios. For each scenario, respondents rated the likelihood and the negativity of experiencing that scenario. Following the facet theoretical paradigm, item intercorrelations were analyzed via ordinal multidimensional scaling. Results from a representative survey among 500 adult Norwegians yield a distinct partitioning with respect to Facets A and B, called a radex configuration. Facet B (actors) shows an angular partition. Facet C (type of harm) yields a contrast of financial versus psycho-social harm. In sum, we conclude that our three-faceted definition provides a satisfying first approximation to people's perception of privacy risks on the Internet while remaining open for extensions with additional facets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Agroalimentaria is the property of Alejandro Antonio Gutierrez Socorro and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Mathematics is an important part of managing business. Business and mathematics go hand in hand this is because business deals with money and money encompasses everything in itself. Financial mathematics is used by commercial enterprises to record and manage business operations. Commercial organizations use mathematics in accounting, inventory management, marketing, sales forecasting, and financial analysis. Matematics helps to know the financial formulas, fractions; measurements involved in interest calculation, hire rates, salary calculation, tax calculation etc. which help complete business tasks efficiently. Financial mathematics also includes statistics and provides solution to business problems. Business mathematics is the study and use of mathematical concepts and skills related to business. It covers a wide range of topics, including finance, accounting, economics, statistics, and more. Business math is used in many different fields, such as marketing, management, and decision-making. Without business math, many business decisions would be made without a true understanding of the numbers involved or the potential consequences of important business decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the 1980s, three paradigms have dominated the historical study of commercial associations—class analysis, modernization, and "public sphere"/"civil society"—but all three are imbued with and insist upon a binary opposition between state and society. These paradigms produce an understanding of commercial associations as part of a Western-style "bourgeois public sphere," itself part of "civil society," standing in opposition to the state. These misinterpretations were only strengthened by the complete state-ification of commercial associations in China after 1949. Studies of the history of commercial associations, trapped in this theoretical pitfall, cannot produce convincing historical research, even with abundant empirical data, nor can they provide experiential models for the development of contemporary commercial associations. Instead, if we focus on practice, we discover that modern commercial associations were part of a "third sphere," an in-between space within the paradoxical institutional framework of China's highly centralized government and minimalist administrative system. The semiformal governance mechanism operative within the third sphere reflected the close relationship and mutual shaping at work between the state and local society rather than a binary opposition between them. Applying these insights on the history of commercial associations to the practices of contemporary "commercial consultative associations" allows us to see that the semiformal administrative traditions embedded in the "third sphere" continue to quietly operate, which has immense significance for the future development of commercial associations in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is based upon a lightening talk that was given on February 14, 2023 at the 2023 NISO Plus conference. The presentation described the research for the creation of a white paper on the use of blockchain technology along the scientific research workflow that will be released in early 2024 by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC). What the three-year study found is that the technology is indeed being used in almost all the steps in the scientific research workflow - from hypothesis development through to publication - by commercial organizations as well as by non-profits and across all market sectors, even governments. For example, the U.S Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) uses blockchain technology in a pilot program, the Grant-recipient Digital Dossier (GDD), to manage their grant program more efficiently. As of July 2021, GDD had reduced the time required to complete grant assessment tasks from four-plus-hours to a fifteen-minute process. This paper briefly summarizes the findings, discusses the pros/cons of the technology, and provides a glimpse of how the technology is impacting the future of scientific research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista de Ciencias Sociales (13159518) is the property of Revista de Ciencias Sociales de la Universidad del Zulia Venezuela and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Brazilian Business Law Journal / Administração de Empresas em Revista is the property of Administracao de Empresas em Revista and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

LEO satellite mega-constellation projects have been proposed by many countries or commercial organizations in recent years. With more than 2000 satellites launched by SpaceX to configure the Starlink system, the orbital resources are more constrained given the existence of spacecrafts and countless orbital debris. Due to this, the operating environment is full of uncertainty and information symmetry is absent for designers and stakeholders during the process of project deployment. The flux model of space debris on orbit has been built for assessing the LEO operation environment. Based on the orbital debris flux model, the collision probability can be calculated, which is an important variable of the state space. Given the condition that tge number of satellites decreases due to collision between satellites and debris, the Markov decision model has been built for optimal deployment strategy and decision-making. In order to assure that the mega-constellation system could provide services when satellites have failed, additional satellites need to be launched. The optimal deployment is the decision to launch a moderate number of satellites to maximize the benefit and minimize the cost. Assuming that at least 30 satellites need to be operated, 4 deployment scenarios are considered and the optimal deployment strategies can be obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Function-as-a-Service (FaaS) is an event-based reactive programming model where functions run in ephemeral stateless containers for short duration. For building complex serverless applications, function composition is crucial to coordinate and synchronize the workflow of an application. Some serverless orchestration systems exist, but they are in their primitive state and do not provide inherent support for non-trivial workflows like, Fork-Join. To address this gap, we propose a fully serverless and scalable design model ReactiveFnJ for Fork-Join workflow. The intent of this work is to illustrate a design which is completely choreographed, reactive, asynchronous, and represents a dynamic composition model for serverless applications based on Fork-Join workflow. Our design uses two innovative patterns, namely, Relay Composition and Master-Worker Composition to solve execution time-out challenges. As a Proof-of-Concept (PoC), the prototypical implementation of Split-Sort-Merge use case, based on Fork-Join workflow is discussed and evaluated. The ReactiveFnJ handles embarrassingly parallel computations, and its design does not depend on any external orchestration services, messaging services, and queue services. ReactiveFnJ facilitates in designing fully automated pipelines for distributed data processing systems, satisfying the Serverless Trilemma in true essence. A file of any size can be processed using our effective and extensible design without facing execution time-out challenges. The proposed model is generic and can be applied to a wide range of serverless applications that are based on the Fork-Join workflow pattern. It fosters the choreographed serverless composition for complex workflows. The proposed design model is useful for software engineers and developers in industry and commercial organizations, total solution vendors and academic researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many government and commercial organizations are using biometric authentication systems instead of a password or token-based authentication systems. They are computationally expensive if more users are involved. To overcome this problem, a biometric system can be created and deployed in the cloud which then can be used as a biometric authentication service. Privacy is the major concern with cloud-based authentication services as biometric is irrevocable. Many biometric authentication systems based on cancelable biometrics are developed to solve the privacy concern in the past few years. But the existing methods fail to maintain the trade-off between speed, security, and accuracy. To overcome this, we present a multi-instance cancelable iris system (MICBTDL). MICBTDL uses a convolutional neural network trained using triplet loss for feature extraction and stores the feature vector as a cancelable template. Our system uses an artificial neural network as the comparator module instead of the similarity measures. Experiments are carried on IITD and MMU iris databases to check the effectiveness of MICBTDL. Experimental results demonstrate that MICBTDL accomplishes fair performance when compared to other existing works. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated to which degree commercial funding is associated with estimated intervention effects in randomized trials. We included meta‐epidemiological studies with published data on the association between commercial funding and results or conclusions of randomized trials. We searched five databases and other sources. We selected one result per meta‐epidemiological study, preferably unadjusted ratio of odds ratios (ROR), for example, odds ratio(commercial funding)/odds ratio(noncommercial funding). We pooled RORs in random‐effects meta‐analyses (ROR <1 indicated exaggerated intervention effects in commercially funded trials), subgrouped (preplanned) by study aim: commercial funding per se versus risk of commercial funder influence. We included eight meta‐epidemiological studies (264 meta‐analyses, 2725 trials). The summary ROR was 0.95 (95% confidence interval 0.85–1.06). Subgroup analysis revealed a difference (p = 0.02) between studies of commercial funding per se, ROR 1.06 (0.95–1.17) and studies of risk of commercial funder influence, ROR 0.88 (0.79–0.97). In conclusion, we found no statistically significant association between commercial funding and estimated intervention effects when combining studies of commercial funding per se and studies of risk of commercial funder influence. A preplanned subgroup analysis indicated that trials with high risk of commercial funder influence exaggerated intervention effects by 12% (21%–3%), on average. Our results differ from previous theoretical considerations and findings from methodological studies and therefore call for confirmation. We suggest it is prudent to interpret results from commercially funded trials with caution, especially when there is a risk that the funder had direct influence on trial design, conduct, analysis, or reporting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study makes an analysis of the working capital of the companies in the commercial sector of Ecuador, in order to know how the working capital affects the economic results of commercial organizations during the year 2021. The research is descriptive, analytical and correlational, based on the database of the Superintendence of Companies (SC) and Insurance SC with a sample of the 40 largest companies according to their assets and applying multiple correlation to determine the relationships between working capital and other selected variables; Among the main results, it is highlighted that one of the components of working capital, current assets, has a direct correlation with total assets, that is, when the company invests the most, it does so in a large majority in resources that can be converted into cash in less than 12 months, with a significance of 0,67. The problem arises from the need to know how the working capital WC influences the obtaining of results at the end of a fiscal year, in one of the largest sectors in the country and that contributes significantly with jobs and taxes to the state; considering also that the largest companies in Ecuador belong to the sector, according to the Ranking of the control body, such as La Favorita Corporation that operates with an investment of $2.178.780.982,22; income tax of $57.787.752,77 and profit for the year 2021 of $232.280.036,22 in the last year reported to the SC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: A physician trained in Aerospace Medicine, with the relevant clinical knowledge and medical authority, is required for direct patient care. However, fully applying that knowledge and authority where needed across a commercial space organization requires effective integration of the medical operations group with the rest of the organization. OVERVIEW: From the earliest days during the establishment of a medical operations department, there will be situations where a representative from medical needs to weigh in as a stakeholder regarding potential impacts to human health or the exchange of medical data, as well as provide information where medical industry knowledge is required to make operational, planning, or design decisions. Considerations for the scope of that work as the company grows may include writing and verifying requirements; designing or sourcing and testing hardware; and developing and documenting processes, standards and procedures. In an operations environment, needs may also include review of mission products from a medical perspective. The medical operations department should also weigh in on the handling of medical data and development of processes associated with human research payloads. This integration requires effectively interpreting and relaying information between physicians and the operations and engineering communities within an organization, to name a few, while balancing differing priorities. It may require human health related content development tailored to fit certain applications, and participation in working groups or boards where multiple departments work together to create integrated products or make decisions. DISCUSSION: A highly functioning medical department is not based on the possession of specialized clinical knowledge and expertise alone. Effectiveness is dependent upon using that knowledge while participating in the right conversations across an organization, wherever those conversations are occurring. It is best to establish an integrated presence as early as possible to open up lines of communication and create productive relationships. Learning Objectives 1. The audience will learn about likely interfaces between medical operations and other departments in a commercial space organization. 2. The audience will be able to identify examples of tasks or products requiring integrated participation from medical operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The document is the cover of the American Fern Journal, Volume 114, Number 3, published in July-September 2024. It includes various articles on topics such as the ecophysiology of Phymatosorus scolopendria, typifications of ferns in the Guianas, petiole anatomy of Pteridophytes, additions to the fern flora of Alabama, and the vegetative phenology of Isoetes louisianensis. The document also provides information about the American Fern Society and its council members for 2024. It concludes with details for authors interested in submitting manuscripts to the journal and information on subscriptions and back issues. [Extracted from the article]

Introduction: Storydoing is analyzed as a prospective advertising communication model in terms of social justice and environmental sustainability that responds to the needs of a society that demands more transparency and honesty from commercial organizations. Methodology: A sample of 87 storydoing campaigns was subjected to an exploratory qualitative content analysis. This analysis consisted of identifying the social cause of the campaign on the basis of the categories established by Kotler et al. (2002) and calculating its incidence in the sample. Results: The results show that storydoing is an advertising communication model that favors the improvement of several areas within society, including education in values concerning family, school, adolescence and youth, civics, culture, and politics. In the same vein, it can help address issues such as environmental and ocean pollution, endangered species, and recycling. Discussion: In light of the above, we are faced with a model in advertising communication that favors an improvement in society. However, some studies point out the lack of clarity with which companies develop advertising strategies based on social causes. Conclusion: Ultimately, we find a disruptive educommunicative model in advertising that bases its strategy on a story aligned with business reality and that is committed to the transformation of social reality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Law & Justice Review is the property of Justice Academy of Turkey and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

There is a double standard in public responses to scandals: Nonprofits are penalized more harshly than commercial organizations for the same transgression (the "moral disillusionment effect"). However, previous research—focused on commercial organizations—has sometimes shown that a positive reputation can insure organizations against the negative effects of scandals. In light of this, we asked whether a second double standard exists when it comes to trust repair: Can nonprofits regain trust and consumer support more quickly than commercial organizations after apologizing? Two experiments (combined N = 805), considering responses to sexual exploitation and fraud scandals, replicated and extended the moral disillusionment effect. Trust and consumer support were partially restored following an apology (and even a statement acknowledging the scandal without apologizing), but the rate of repair was the same for nonprofits and commercial organizations. Nonprofit managers should therefore implement internal controls to prevent violations and issue public responses when scandals emerge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cybersecurity of organizations is a subject of perennial concern as they are subject to mounting threats in an increasingly digitalized world. While commercial and charitable organizations have been the objects of cybersecurity research, social enterprises (SEs) have remained unexplored. As SEs have become increasingly important features of social and economic development, so their prominence as potential targets of cybercrime also increases. In order to address this knowledge gap, this article examines the factors that influence the cyber-preparedness of SEs in the U.K. Through the use of semistructured interviews with SE owner-managers, these factors are found to comprise the characteristics of the enterprise, the characteristics of the enterprise management, resource constraints, experience of cyberattacks, usage of IT, and awareness of cybersecurity schemes and resources. These insights provide valuable guidance for SE owner-managers, SE support agencies, and policy-makers when considering the cybersecurity of SEs. These findings are of immediate concern to SEs but also to other organizations that are engaged in partnerships with them as SEs may afford “gateway” opportunities to those with malicious intent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several commercial organizations have recently launched or plan to launch constellations containing thousands of satellites. Such large constellations potentially adversely affect astronomical observations. This study formulates a set of indicators that assess the impact of light pollution from different constellations on ground-based visible band astronomy. These include the statistically expected number of visible and sunlit satellites above ground-based observers, as well as the number that are also expected to be brighter than the currently recommended limit for constellation satellites. The latter indicator provides a consolidated means to evaluate the potential for a constellation to affect ground-based astronomy too severely, by simultaneously accounting for the effects of constellation population, orbital distribution as well as brightness magnitude and variability. For existing constellations, the evaluation process incorporates actual satellite photometric brightness measurements, which are becoming increasingly available in web-accessible databases and repositories. For proposed constellations, a semi-empirical method allows rough approximations of pre-launch light pollution levels, based on observed brightness distributions observed of currently orbiting analog satellites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The object of the research is the principles of the quality management system and the interaction of different approaches to the quality assessment of civil society organizations (CSOs). In many countries, regulatory documents have not been developed regarding the quality management of the CSO activities. Let’s consider this problem using the example of Ukraine, since there has been an increase in the number of public associations by more than 85,000 during the last decade. Along with it, the principles of implementing DSTU ISO 9001:2015 for non-commercial, in particular civil organizations, are not sufficiently clear, given the various socio-cultural and economic prerequisites. Based on theoretical and analytical methods, it is proposed to conduct an in-depth analysis of the problem and further justification of the implementation of the practice of compliance with Quality Standards and good governance in civil society organizations. That is primarily due to the desire of CSOs themselves to self-organize, reinforced by the need to establish partnership relations with state authorities and commercial organizations, which is accompanied by the fulfillment of requirements for transparency, accountability, and effectiveness of CSOs activities. Adherence to Quality Standards forms a commitment on the part of CSOs to generally accepted ethical principles and standards of behavior, which further contributes to the achievement of social legitimacy. Based on the analyzed regulatory and technical documentation, the need to develop a Quality Standard of Ukraine for CSOs based on the complementarity of different approaches to evaluating the quality of organizations according to the «Quality Standard of CSOs» and DSTU ISO 9001:2015 is substantiated. The results of the analysis of registered public associations by organizational and legal forms in Ukraine confirm the tendency to increase their number, which is a prerequisite for the implementation of the international experience of using the CSO Quality Standard. Taking into account the results of a comparative assessment of the principles of the CSO Quality Standard and DSTU ISO 9001:2015, wit is possible to state that there are no differences in the main approaches to managing the quality system of organizations. The governance aspects of the Modified Organizational Capacity Assessment Tool are similar to those of the «Quality Standard of CSOs», based on the subcategories: authorities; values, vision, and mission of the organization; management style and leadership; strategic planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Against the backdrop of an Indian banking sector that finds itself entangled in the triple deadlock of increasing competition, technological changes and strict regulatory compliance, the study aims to examine the need for reinforcing stringent corporate and risk governance mechanisms as an instrument for improving efficiency and productivity levels. Design/methodology/approach: The authors construct three separate indices, namely, supervisory board index, audit index and risk governance index to measure the governance practices of commercial banks. A slacks-based data envelopment analysis technical efficiency (TE) measure, a variable returns to scale cost efficiency model and Malmquist productivity index are employed to determine TE, cost efficiency and productivity change, respectively. A two-step system-generalized method of moments estimation accounts for the dynamic relationship between governance and efficiency. Findings: The authors show that strict audit and risk governance mechanisms are associated with better efficiency and productivity levels. However, consistent with the free-rider hypothesis, large, independent and diverse boards lead to cost inefficiencies. Strict risk governance structures circumvent the negative effects of high regulatory capital and improve efficiency and total factor productivity. However, friendly boards do not perform efficiently in the presence of regulatory capital, implying that incentives arising from maintaining high levels of equity capital make them more susceptible to risk-taking, and board composition is unable to sidestep this behaviour. Originality/value: The paper contributes to the literature that explores the linkages between governance, efficiency and productivity. The inferences hold relevance in the post-COVID world, as regulators try to circumvent the additional stress on the banking system by adopting sound corporate and risk governance mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing entangled physical trading of products and services worldwide. As a result, the Commercial and Industrial Association of Marília (ACIM) developed and provided businesses with a marketplace platform called "Marília.Dakki." In this context, knowledge emerged as a resource, and knowledge sharing became a fundamental activity for the marketplace implementation. Thus, the objective of the research was to identify and analyze the influential aspects of knowledge sharing (IAKS) in "Marília.Dakki." The research is characterized as qualitative and exploratory and used the case study method. Questionnaires were used to acquire data from the 19 subjects involved in the "Marília.Dakki" operations, as well as an interview with the Director of IT and Innovation. As a result of the research, people, processes, and culture were identified as IAKS, and these aspects, when related, generated nine other IAKS. The researchers concluded that these IAKS found in the research impacted the marketplace adoption, in addition to its maintenance as a collaborative environment, and are of great importance for the survival and development of companies, both during the pandemic and after it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

These updated Good Publication Practice (GPP) guidelines include recommendations for publishing company-sponsored biomedical research. The GPP guidelines apply to peer-reviewed or peer-oriented biomedical publications, such as manuscripts, meeting presentations, posters, and abstracts, as well as enhanced content, such as plain-language summaries. The current GPP guidelines incorporate guidance on ethics and transparency as well as the planning, development, review, and approval of biomedical publications and policies and procedures that describe these practices. Supplemental materials lay out processes for steering committees, publication plans, publication working groups, determining authorship, and documentation. Information about new topics, such as alliances and working with patients, has been included where appropriate within these supplemental materials. Incorporating the principles and best practices presented in these GPP guidelines will result in increased transparency and a firm ethical footing. This guidance is also intended to enable the compliant incorporation of new and emerging publication tools for the ethical publication of company-sponsored research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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In this work, 63 scientific articles published bet-ween January 2016 and July 2020 are analyzed which address the topic of sales teams of organizations and their relationship with commercial performance, indexed in Scopus and Web Of Science. The methodology established by the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network was used. The findings indicate the existence of a theoretical and practical body associated with topics such as the characteristics of sellers, sales performance, marketing and leadership, elements that could be appropriated by organizations to improve their benefits. Posts linking marketing, sales teams and their performance were few compared to those associated with salesperson characteristics. In this sense, future works could address the incidence of branding, brand positioning and incentives for marketing and sales teams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The financial stability of commercial organizations in the conditions of crisis phenomena demonstrated by the market economy is decreased. This increases the urgency in search and application of the most effective models developed for audit and diagnostics of economic activity of economic subjects. This study is dedicated to the analysis of business continuity audit assessment, especially accounting, and analytical aspects. To meet the study's aim, an interview with employees of several departments of the refinery is conducted. Besides, general scientific methods, including descriptive and observational, are employed. Given the results, the business continuity assessment is less subjective than a management interview designed to confirm or deny the intention to continue operations uninterrupted for the foreseeable future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Why does it always take a long time to acknowledge environmental hazards such as climate change or air pollution, even when knowledge on their dangers has been available for years? Drawing on the case of French pesticide regulation, this article shows that this gap between knowledge and consequent action results not only from secretive corporate leverage on public decisions and expertise but also from the expertise and bureaucratic machinery behind pesticide regulation. This machinery fosters an organized denial where regulators systematically exclude uncomfortable knowledge that could challenge official risk assessment. Organized denial that legally maintains ignorance fulfills an implicit function. It preserves the legitimacy of the risk management system and, through it, the administrative and commercial organization of agricultural production in France. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on the financial system and the financial condition of commercial organizations in the real sector. Therefore, the development of new solutions in the financial management system and their implementation in practice is vital to overcome the crisis. The main purpose of this paper is to improve the behavioural theory of capital by developing a learning model. According to finance management philosophy, the forecast results were used to adjust the marginal ranges between a specific commercial organization's debt burden, capital structure, and indicators of the organization's liabilities secured by the organization's assets. One of the main advantages of the proposed approach is the determination of marginal ranges in line with the predicted preferred variants of liabilities for the sets of indicators assessing the debt burden. Within the framework of this article, this method was implemented for the studied Armenian organizations. The proposed model, with an overview of the philosophy of financial management, makes it possible to determine the general marginal ranges of the indicators that are the basis of financial policy development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]