Possibilities and Challenges of Online Education in India During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The undergraduate and postgraduate studies of colleges and universities in India have been affected badly amidst the lockdowns for COVID-19 pandemic. The Government has insisted to start the academic activity through online platforms. The biggest concern for the academic institutions now is to select an appropriate e-learning platform. This paper compares different features and facilities available in some widely used online platforms and analyze their suitability from the perspective of socio-economic constraints of students in India. A generic framework for conducting online classes is described that meets the special requirements of the unprivileged students. Some strategic plans to overcome the challenges are identified and suggested. A technical solution for implementation of time-bound assessment module is also proposed.

Redistribution and the Abolishment of Historical Entitlements in the CAP Strategic Plans: The Case of Greece

A key issue in CAP strategic planning in Greece is the treatment of historical entitlements. An unequal level of payments per hectare is difficult to justify in terms of the CAP’s rationale, and so the abolishment of these entitlements seems to be the most reasonable option. However, for historical reasons, this abolishment may result in a transfer of payments from smaller to larger farms and between different agricultural sub-sectors which could in turn lead to negative effects on the incomes of small farms and lead to farmers leaving the sector. We simulate the change to a flat rate payment in order to quantify these effects, then explore the possibility of employing the new obligatory redistribution measure, termed complementary income support, to mitigate any negative effects. We conclude that redistribution is, indeed, a powerful tool for fine-tuning decoupled payments if historical entitlements are to be abolished.

Residents’ Perceptions of Sustainable Tourism Destination Recovery: The Case of Northern Cyprus

As nations and tourism destinations are beginning to relax nonpharmaceutical measures for the prevention of the COVID-19 virus, a major quest of tourism stakeholders is to restart and restore the once viable and productive industry to its prior state. While the urge to restart and restore may necessitate a strategic plan and drastic measures, care must be taken not to undermine the sustainability of the destination. The current study seeks to understand the perceptions of residents of Northern Cyprus as key tourism stakeholders concerning the impacts of COVID-19 to the island’s tourism activities and recommendations for recovery post pandemic. To this end, the study used grounded theory and semistructured interviews to explore how residents perceive the contribution of focused advertisements and stakeholder engagement in the sustainable restoration of tourism activities post COVID-19 on the island. While divergent opinions were gathered, it can be inferred that stakeholders expect the implementation of strategic plans aided by focused advertisements to ensure the sustainability of their tourist destinations. Policy directions and academic contributions are also stated as requirements.

Applying Diversity-Intelligent Organizational Strategies for Competitive Advantage

Competitive advantage is attained through talent development and leadership. Talented employees seek career advancement, change, and success. Organization leaders must integrate all employees into their strategic plans and can no longer exclude talented, diverse individuals. Key diversity improvement themes are revealed in this chapter to help leaders focus on areas within the organization to apply diversity intelligent strategies and eliminate institutional barriers that limit the success of diverse employees. Sustaining competitive advantage requires dedicated efforts of executive leaders in organizations.

The Absent Presence of Aeromobility: A Case of Australian Academic Air Travel Practices and University Policy

Mobilities scholarship has paid considerable attention to the forms of presence enabled by air travel in hypermobile organisations (Elliott & Urry, 2010; Strengers, 2015; Storme et al., 2017). However, there has been less focus on the absences that these presences simultaneously generate. This chapter develops the concept of ‘absent presences’ enabled through the practices and policies of academic hypermobility. The chapter draws on qualitative interviews with 24 Australian-based academics, alongside a review of university policies that are relevant to air travel. We use these data to explore ‘absent presence’ in academic air travel. First, we suggest that there is an assumption in academia that embodied presence is required for authentic modes of knowledge sharing and networking, primarily at conferences and meetings. Yet this type of presence abroad requires that one is absent from home for extended periods. Second, we show how absent presence exists in academic policies concerning air travel. In university strategic plans, air travel is present as a means and measure of academic success. In university sustainability policies, however, air travel’s environmental impacts are often absent from consideration. We conclude by discussing the implications of absent presence in academic work life, as well as university policy and practice more broadly.

Global Inclusion, Diversity, Belonging, Equity, and Access - GIDBEA. The Architecture of A New Different

The article asserts the need for organizations to adopt intentional and transformative Global Inclusion, Diversity, Belonging, Equity, and Access (GIDBEA) practices, to ensure their future readiness. The research developed reaffirms the benefits of GIDBEA strategies in identifying gap areas and navigating crises, by providing insights on how to successfully embed a ‘new different’ GIDBEA strategy into organizational frameworks. By drawing trends across the 2020-2021 COVID-19 pandemic and other previous health and economic crises, it is indicated what is described as the “normality of disruption” and the need to move away from the idea of a ‘new normal’ to a new different. The new different acknowledges that the ‘normal’ or the status quo was often challenging for many. The impact and importance of the disruptions that individuals, communities, nations, etc., all have and will face together, is also recognized. The new different emphasizes organizational transformation through co-creation, sustainability, adaptivity, resilience, and design thinking. By implementing a design thinking model, GIDBEA proactively engages mistakes while promoting innovation through dissent and disruption. As a result, disruptions are not considered episodic crises but as recurring, expected, and presenting opportunities. Furthermore, it is argued that GIDBEA expertise is essential for remaining agile, innovative, and providing strategic organizational architecture to prepare and innovate for these disruptions. However, it is necessary to consider that GIDBEA practice can be limited due to the failure of organizations and leaders to frame it as an asset and develop strategic plans to leverage it in the same way they do other critical functional business units. Therefore, unless prioritized and conducted intentionally, GIDBEA work will not achieve its promised bonuses and transformative potential. The article offers readers insights and tools to assess existing GIDBEA within their organization. Using metaphors of “construction” and “architecture,” it illustrates how reimaging organizational architectures and constructing initiatives focused on GIDBEA are fundamental to resiliency, organizational sustainability, and the ability to thrive through shifting landscapes.

Strategi pengembangan profesionalisme penyuluh dalam peningkatan mutu penyuluhan pertanian

Agricultural extension is less clear, so it needs to be addressed, by developing professionalism of extension workers in improving the quality of agricultural extension. How is the implementation of strategic management in improving the quality of agricultural extension. The research objectives were to identify and analyze: 1. SWOT internal environment (strengths and weaknesses) and external environment (opportunities and challenges / threats); 2. Strategic formulation; 3. Strategic implementation; 4. Management of supervision and evaluation of agricultural extension professionalism; 5. Strategic steps to overcome problems and weaknesses. The research method uses a qualitative approach. Research location: BP3K Sukalarang and Sukabumi Subdistricts, West Java. The underlying theory is educational management, strategic management, human resource management, agricultural management and extension, quality theory and culture. The research findings are: 1. Not all BP3K heads have analyzed and combined their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges into the conclusion of strategic assumptions in the preparation of strategic plans; 2. Strategic formulation has not been based on strategic assumptions by maximizing strengths and minimizing weaknesses by taking advantage of opportunities in facing challenges. Vision, mission, strategic objectives and policies for professional development of extension workers are integrated in RENSTRA BP4K; 3. Strategic implementation includes programs, budgets and implementation procedures contained in the BP3K Annual Work Plan Program with a nominal BP3K Budget Work Plan, the agricultural extension professionalism development program has not been specifically regulated; 4. Supervision and evaluation of the professionalism of agricultural extension workers have not collaborated between the Head of BP3K and the district agricultural extension coordinator. The head of BP3K has not reported the results of the detailed and periodic professionalism assessment of agricultural extension agents to the district agricultural extension coordinator; 5. Strategies to overcome problems in an anticipatory manner through fostering motivation to all agricultural extension workers. Research recommendations: it is recommended that BP3K heads maximize strengths, minimize weaknesses, take advantage of opportunities to overcome challenges. Strategic assumptions are the basis for formulating vision, mission, goals, strategies and policies so that the professionalism of agricultural extension workers can develop to improve the quality of agricultural extension.

CAPTURING THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS: A CASE STUDY OF PAKISTAN

The spread of COVID-19 has obstructed construction projects worldwide owing to disruptions in supply chain, restriction on the combine work and legislative enforcements. Construction projects from developing economies are more susceptible to these challenges. The aim of this research is to identify factors caused by COVID-19 impacting progress of construction projects and review tools to lessen its negative impact. Multistep methodology is adopted using semi-structured interviews with construction experts to identify factors affected the progress during COVID-19; and data collection from professionals to quantify the significance of each identified factor; Cronbach’s alpha for reliability and multiple regression to assess the effect of COVID-19 on progress of construction projects. The findings show that COVID-19 has left severe issues at the operational and financial levels. The remedies use to correct these issues will help policymakers from construction industry to improve existing strategic plans and develop new policies to manage the issues caused by COVID-19.

Modelling of communicants' strategic plans in personal German-language interview

This article describes and tests the author's methodology for analyzing the specifics of interaction and the implementation of communicants' strategic plans in personal German-language interview. The author's understanding of the personal interview as a communicative event, in which the interaction of communicative processes of varying degrees of complexity and structure is implemented, implies a detailed study of the conditions and nature of each of them. In order to study communicative activity and features of interaction in the personal German-speaking interview, which has such characteristics as goal-setting and spontaneity, ritualization and self-organization, the presence of subject-logical and psycho-social plans of interaction development, the author undertakes to develop a comprehensive method of analysis. The material for the study in this article was an interview with the renowned German literary critic Marcel Reich-Ranicki Hasste Marcel Reich-Ranicki wirklich die Frauen?. The linguistic material was examined in detail using a transcript of the video interview created with the FOLKER / Exmaralda programme (Institut fr Deutsche Sprache) in accordance with the GAT2 transcription system. The complex method of analysis described in this article is based on the theoretical postulates and practical methods of the current trends in modern linguistics and communication research. It enables the study of the peculiarities of communicative interaction and the analysis of verbal realization of communicants' strategic programs. As a result of the application of the described complex method of analysis the author identified structural and discursive units of analysis and made a conclusion that the core of the interviewer's strategic program forms the strategy of information request with the dominance of tactics of argumentation and establishing and maintaining intersubjective relations. The interviewee's strategic program is constituted by the strategy of self-presentation, the core of which in this interview are the tactics of enhancing one's own image and the tactics of informing.