Prospects and Impediments of Railway Infrastructure Development in Ghana: Impact of Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) Technology

2021 ◽  
pp. 097493062110585
Author(s):  
Iddrisu Mohammed Awal ◽  
Abdelhak Senadjki ◽  
Au Yong Hui Nee
Keyword(s):  
Developmental Process ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Modern Technology ◽  
Infrastructure Development ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Railway Infrastructure ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Socio Economic Impact ◽  
Political Differences ◽  
The Impact

There is limited understanding concerning the practicable challenges that could impede the developmental process of railway infrastructure projects, and the possible negative effect of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) technology in Ghana. Given that the majority of the population are unfamiliar with the newly planned railway system. Our research intends to contribute towards the development of human capital and elevating the standard of living through the assertion of productive policies to ensure rapid infrastructure development by highlighting not only the socio-economic impact, but the negative impact of the railway infrastructure in the society. Also, this study discusses the possible challenges that could hinder the railway infrastructure development process. This study employs face-to-face interviews and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) interview sessions that assimilate 35 respondents. Data collected is transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically. The findings reveal that corruption, unstable political discourse, lack of modern technology, and the impact of the Covid19 pandemic are among the critical challenges to hinder the progress and completion of the railway infrastructure development. By-laws should be designated ensuring that every uncompleted national project must be completed and not abandoned by the successive governments regardless of political differences. JEL Classifications: R4, O1, Q18, Q55, Q51

Every coin has two sides: the impact of time pressure on employees’ knowledge hiding

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xianchun Zhang ◽  
Zhu Yao ◽  
Wan Qunchao ◽  
Fu-Sheng Tsai
Keyword(s):  
Time Pressure ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Job Security ◽  
Statistical Technique ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Individual Knowledge ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Knowledge Hiding ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Time pressure is the most common kind of work pressure that employees face in the workplace; the existing research results on the effect of time pressure are highly controversial (positive, negative, inverted U-shaped). Especially in the era of knowledge economy, there remains a research gap in the impact of time pressure on individual knowledge hiding. The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of different time pressure (challenge and hindrance) on knowledge hiding and to explain why there is controversy about the effect of time pressure in the academics. Design/methodology/approach The authors collected two waves of data and surveyed 341 R&D employees in China. Moreover, they used regression analysis, bootstrapping and Johnson–Neyman statistical technique to verify research hypotheses. Findings The results show that challenge time pressure (CTP) has a significant negative effect on knowledge hiding, whereas hindrance time pressure (HTP) has a significant positive effect on knowledge hiding; job security mediates the relationship between time pressure and knowledge hiding; temporal leadership strengthen the positive impact of CTP on job security; temporal leadership can mitigate the negative impact of HTP on job security. Originality/value The findings not only respond to the academic debate about the effect of time pressure and point out the reasons for the controversy but also enhance the scholars’ attention and understanding of the internal mechanism between time pressure and knowledge hiding.

scholarly journals Some results of studying the impact of digital technologies upon learning activities

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Elvira Vitaljevna Burtseva ◽  
Olga Chepak ◽  
Olga Kulikova
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
Learning Activities ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Impact

The subject of this research is the implementation of digital technologies in educational process of a university. The goal consists in studying the impact of digital technologies upon the students’ learning activities. The article presents the results of questionnaire-based survey among students by the three question pools. In the course of research, the author examines such aspects of the problem, as the positive and negative impact of technologies upon learning activities of the students of digital generation. Particular attention is given to consideration of students’ attitude on digitalization of higher education. The opinions of pedagogues on the results of conducted research are presented. The scientific novelty lies in mainstreaming the question on the negative impact of digital technologies upon learning activities of the modern generation of students that deserves special attention. On the background of common passion of the scholars of researchers and pedagogues for the ideas of digitalization of education, when digital technologies are viewed as virtually the key factor for modernization of educational process; second come the problems of growing pathological dependence of youth on digital technologies, undesired to switch to digitalized educational process to the disadvantage of communication in social networks and pleasant pastime online. The problem of the negative effect of digital technologies on learning activities must be recognized in order to find the ways for its solution.

An empirical investigation on the impact of marketing strategy style on firm performance: evidence from public firms in China

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rui Wang ◽  
Liqiong Liu ◽  
Yu Feng
Keyword(s):  
Marketing Strategy ◽  
Corporate Performance ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Listed Companies ◽  
Research Issues ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Public Firms ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThe mechanism of marketing strategy style and its impact on firms are research issues received wide attention. In particular, the aggressive style of marketing strategy has been chosen by many companies, but recent studies have shown that it has a negative effect on corporate performance. This leads to the core issue of this paper – does the aggressive style of marketing strategy always had a negative impact on corporate performance? Are there any factors that can alleviate this negative impact?Design/methodology/approachBased on the resource-based theory and agency theory, this paper takes the Growth Enterprise Market (GEM) listed companies as the research objects, collects secondary data and conducts the research by regression model.FindingsThe empirical research shows that: (1) the aggressive style of marketing strategy significantly and negatively affects the performance of firm; (2) the resource constraint can moderate the main effect and resource control play a weak adjustment role.Practical implicationsIn practice, this paper confirms the adverse impact of aggressive style of marketing strategy on the performance of listed companies on GEM and inspires the industry to strengthen the control and supervision of marketing resources.Originality/valueThis paper makes up for the research gap in the field of cross-research in finance and marketing theoretically.

scholarly journals Impact of High-Altitude on Truck’s Climbing Speed: Case study in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Area in China

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Tian Lei ◽  
Jinliang Xu ◽  
Xingli Jia ◽  
Leyu Wei ◽  
Lin Tian
Keyword(s):  
High Altitude ◽  
Traffic Safety ◽  
Field Tests ◽  
Tibet Plateau ◽  
Infrastructure Development ◽  
Plateau Area ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
High Altitude Area ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Different Altitudes

Truck’s climbing performance is an important consideration in traffic safety, efficiency, and highway geometric design. With the infrastructure development in high-altitude area in China, more attention needs to be paid on truck’s climbing performance in such area. In this article, truck’s climbing speed in high-altitude area was examined through field tests on different grade sections at different altitudes. Truck’s speed-distance curves were built at different altitudes and the impact of altitude on truck’s climbing speed was explored based on the test results. It was shown that, within the altitude range of 3000~5000m, altitude had an obvious influence on test truck’s decelerating and accelerating performance. Truck’s speed decreased faster on steep grades and increased slower on gentle grades with the increase of the altitude. Also, the stable speed that test truck could maintain on a certain grade was lower at a higher altitude. In addition, test truck’s theoretical speed-distance curves at the sea level were estimated through truck’s dynamic model. Compared with the theoretical crawl speed, a negative effect of altitude change (from 0 to the altitude above 3000 m) was found on truck’s climbing performance.

Shopping online? The role of imagination and gender

2019 ◽  
Vol 53 (12) ◽  
pp. 2604-2628 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manveer K. Mann ◽  
Yuping Liu-Thompkins
Keyword(s):  
Purchase Intention ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Product Evaluation ◽  
Brand Experience ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Female Consumers ◽  
Product Use ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This study aims to examine gender differences in the impact of imagining product use on purchase decisions. The authors argue that while imagination can enhance purchase intention for female consumers, it can be detrimental to male consumers. This study explores the conditions under which imagination can be turned into a positive device for male consumers. Design/methodology/approach Three experimental studies were conducted. The first two studies illustrate the differential effects of imagination on males vs females. Given the negative effect found among males, the third study focused exclusively on male consumers to identify conditions under which the negative impact of imagination on these consumers can be alleviated. Findings Studies 1 and 2 show that while an imagination tactic has positive or no effect on female consumers, a generic imagination request lowers male consumers’ purchase intention. Focusing on potential ways of alleviating this negative effect, Study 3 shows that for males without prior brand ownership experience, imagining product use in a less-typical context can increase purchase intention. Research limitations/implications The results provide evidence that gender impacts the effectiveness of imagination in improving product evaluation. Furthermore, the context of imagination and previous brand experience can be used together to determine how male consumers respond to imagination. Practical implications The study’s findings warn against the blind use of imagination tactics. Instead, retailers need to customize imagination tactics based on gender, previous brand experience and product usage context. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is one of the first papers to examine the impact of gender on the influence of imagination on product evaluation.

scholarly journals Does Customer Demotion Jeopardize Loyalty?

2009 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
pp. 69-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tillmann Wagner ◽  
Thorsten Hennig-Thurau ◽  
Thomas Rudolph
Keyword(s):  
Negative Impact ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Loyalty Programs ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Managerial Decision ◽  
Design Variables ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Loyalty Intentions ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Scenario Study

Hierarchical loyalty programs award elevated customer status (e.g., “elite membership”) to consumers who meet a predefined spending level. However, if a customer subsequently falls short of the required spending level, firms commonly revoke that status. The authors investigate the impact of such customer demotion on loyalty intentions toward the firm. Building on prospect theory and emotions theory, the authors hypothesize that changes in customer status have an asymmetric negative effect, such that the negative impact of customer demotion is stronger than the positive impact of status increases. An experimental scenario study provides evidence that loyalty intentions are indeed lower for demoted customers than for those who have never been awarded a preferred status, meaning that hierarchical loyalty programs can drive otherwise loyal customers away from a firm. A field study using proprietary sales data from a different industry context demonstrates the robustness of the negative impact of customer demotion. The authors test the extent to which design variables of hierarchical loyalty programs may attenuate the negative consequences of status demotions with a second experimental scenario study and present an analytical model that links status demotion to customer equity to aid managerial decision making.

An interpretative phenomenological analysis of dignity in people with multiple sclerosis

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 686-700 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katarína Žiaková ◽  
Juraj Čáp ◽  
Michaela Miertová ◽  
Elena Gurková ◽  
Radka Kurucová
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Lived Experience ◽  
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Fighting Spirit ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Using Data

Background: Dignity is a fundamental concept in healthcare. The symptoms of multiple sclerosis have a negative effect on dignity. Understanding of lived experience of dignity in people with multiple sclerosis is crucial to support dignity in practice. Research aim: The aim was to explore the sense of dignity experienced by people with multiple sclerosis. Research design and participants: An interpretative phenomenological analysis design was adopted, using data collected through face-to-face interviews with 14 participants. Ethical considerations: The study was approved by the faculty Ethical Committee (No. EC 1828/2016). Findings: Four interconnected superordinate themes emerged from analysis: Loss of a fully-fledged life: Violating the dignity-of-self; To accept and fight: Promoting the dignity-of-self; Contempt and rudeness: Indignity-in-relation; and Those who know and see, help: Promoting dignity-in-relation. The loss of former fully-fledged life has a dramatic impact on integrity and impaired dignity-of-self. Accepting illness and changed identity impaired by multiple sclerosis was the step that the participants considered to be important for reacquiring the sense of dignity. The participants encountered misunderstandings, prejudices, embarrassment, insensitive remarks, labelling, unwillingness and impersonal treatment as indignities. Acceptance of their condition, needed support, the feeling of being part of a group, sensitivity and the sharing of problems had a positive effect on their dignity. Discussion: Continual changes in functional ability threaten an individual’s identity and were experienced as violations of dignity. Based on this, participant’s dignity-of-self was not a moral, but much more existential value. Acceptance of changed identity and fighting spirit were important for restoring their dignity-of-self. The misunderstandings, prejudices and unwillingness had a negative impact on their dignity-in-relation. On the other side, support from others in fighting promoted their dignity-in-relation. Conclusion: Dignity is manifested as a complex phenomenon of lived experience of people with multiple sclerosis and also an umbrella concept for providing good quality of person-centred care.

Trust, Ethnicity and Integrity in East Africa: Experimental Evidence from Kenya and Tanzania

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 88-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominic Burbidge ◽  
Nic Cheeseman
Keyword(s):  
Ethnic Diversity ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Common Knowledge ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Trust Games ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Experimental Games ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Impact ◽  
First Time

AbstractPolitical economy comparisons of Kenya and Tanzania have often found the political salience of ethnicity to be far higher in the former than the latter, with a negative impact on intercommunal trust. This difference has tended to be explained on the basis of the different kinds of leadership that the two countries experienced after independence. However, these findings have typically been demonstrated using aggregate or survey data. This paper assesses the salience of ethnicity at the individual level for the first time, deploying monetized two-round trust games in urban Kenya and Tanzania. The experimental games isolate the comparative impact of common knowledge of ethnicity and integrity among a quasi-random selection of 486 citizens. Verifying previous findings, we observe higher levels of trust and trustworthiness in Tanzania as compared with Kenya. Further, in comparison with Kenya, any shared knowledge of ethnic identities in Tanzania leads players to transfer fewer resources, while common knowledge that both players are “honest” led to higher transfers there than in Kenya. These results provide robust evidence of higher levels of trust in Tanzania, and of the negative effect in that country of common knowledge of ethnicity on levels of cooperation. The findings demonstrate the way in which political context can shape the impact of ethnic diversity, and encourage further experimental research that looks at the intersubjective dynamics of social cooperation.

scholarly journals Exports, Misallocation, and Total Factor Productivity of Furniture Enterprises

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (18) ◽  
pp. 4892
Author(s):  
Chang Xu ◽  
Jianbing Guo ◽  
Baodong Cheng ◽  
Yu Liu
Keyword(s):  
Total Factor Productivity ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Market Competition ◽  
Fixed Effects Model ◽  
Factor Productivity ◽  
Labor Costs ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
The Impact

With the increase in labor costs in China and the tremendous changes in the international trade environment, upgrading the total factor productivity of Chinese furniture export enterprises faces a great challenge. Lots of studies have explored the interaction of exports or misallocation on the total factor productivity (TFP) of furniture enterprises, however, there is little knowledge on the impact and interaction of both exports and misallocation on the TFP. Based on panel data of Chinese furniture enterprises, this paper measures the TFP and the distortion of labor and capital resources in Chinese furniture enterprises. A two-way fixed-effects model is used to analyze the impact of exports and misallocation on the TFP of Chinese furniture enterprises. The paper reveals several important findings. First, the TFP of Chinese furniture export enterprises is lower than that of non-export enterprises, this phenomenon is called the “export–productivity paradox”. Chinese furniture export enterprises are processing trade-oriented and labor-intensive enterprises at the low end of the value chain, exports have a negative effect on improving the TFP of furniture enterprises in the short term. Second, the distortion of labor and capital resources in Chinese furniture enterprises promotes improvements to the TFP of furniture enterprises rather than reducing the TFP of furniture enterprises. Last but not the least, we find that misallocation has a positive moderating effect on exports and can weaken the negative impact of exports on TFP by the “forced mechanism”, which is that the higher the distortion of the misallocation, the higher the cost of acquiring capital and labor, and enterprises are forced to enhance their productivity when facing market competition, thus promoting improvements to the TFP of furniture enterprises.

Precarious Childhoods: Childhood Family Income Volatility and Mental Health in Early Adulthood

Social Forces ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 99 (2) ◽  
pp. 672-699
Author(s):  
Siwei Cheng ◽  
Kyriaki Kosidou ◽  
Bo Burström ◽  
Charlotte Björkenstam ◽  
Anne R Pebley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Income Distribution ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Family Income ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Early Adulthood ◽  
Mental Wellbeing ◽  
Income Volatility ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Low Income Families ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The rise of income volatility in western countries has been extensively documented in the literature, but empirical research has just started to examine how childhood exposure to family income volatility affects subsequent wellbeing. This study takes advantage of several nation-wide, population registers from Sweden with linkages within and across generations to examine the intergenerational impact of childhood family income volatility on psychiatric disorders in early adulthood. In addition to the population-average effects, we also examine the heterogeneity in the impact of family income volatility for families at the top, bottom, and middle of the family income distribution. Our results suggest that after controlling for a set of family- and child-level characteristics, childhood family income volatility has a negative effect on mental wellbeing, and this finding is consistent across a range of psychiatric outcomes. Furthermore, we show that while children from low-income families exhibit the greatest likelihood of psychiatric disorder, children from families in the middle of the income distribution experience the greatest negative impact of income volatility.

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