The Strategic Imperative of Quality Assurance

This chapter focuses on the fundamental question: What is the strategic importance of quality assurance (QA) for higher education institutions (HEIs)? Divided into four main segments, the chapter begins by defining QA within the context of a continuum, ranging from entirely voluntarily QA—as a part of the HEI internal standard procedures—to more ‘prescriptive' models, as mandated by ranking and accreditation bodies. Secondly, the chapter engages in identifying specific strategic functions of QA in light of two inherent objectives of HEIs: competitiveness and sustainable impact. Next, the chapter showcases the role of QA played in advancing the American University in Cairo (AUC) School of Business to the renowned triple-crown accreditation status (AACSB, EQUIS, AMBA), while highlighting both challenges encountered and implementable solutions. Last of all, the chapter discusses potential future changes to QA, given the ‘new normal' of the higher education landscape.

Resource Reconfiguration During Technological Change

A central strategic imperative for surviving technological change requires firms to attenuate the inertia and rigidity imposed by its legacy technology orientation (defined as the relative emphasis placed on technological knowledge and products aligned to an incumbent technology) and successfully transition to a new technology. We theorize that resource reconfiguration through corporate scope decisions—alliances, acquisitions, divestitures, and different postacquisition integration approaches—enables firms to achieve the twin requirements of attenuation and transition. Initially, a legacy technology orientation exerts inertia due to legacy reinforcement—decreasing the likelihood of firms making new technology acquisitions and legacy technology divestitures. New technology alliances mitigate this inertia via legacy attenuation—increasing the likelihood of acquisitions and legacy divestitures. Finally, when firms make new technology acquisitions, we theorize that acquirers choosing partial acquisition integration approaches (partial integration and partial autonomy) are more likely to achieve a successful transition to the new technology-legacy transition and, thus, more likely to survive technological change relative to firms choosing full integration or full autonomy. Using a sample of firms from the digital camera product market over 1991–2006, we found strong empirical support for our predictions. We contribute to research on technological change by demonstrating that firms may overcome the inertia of a legacy technology orientation and adapt to an emerging new technology by employing corporate scope decisions and postacquisition integration as resource reconfiguration mechanisms. Specifically, we advance the novel finding that postacquisition integration is an important survival-enhancing mechanism that facilitates adaptation to technological change.

Resilience as a Strategic Imperative in the Age of Uncertainty

The article examines resilience as a new approach to supporting economic growth under the global uncertainty and sudden shocks. We describe resilience as a method for dynamic stabilization of complex systems, as a new imperative for growth policy, and as a new standard of risk management.

INNOVATION − CONDITIO SINE QUA NON DEVELOPMENT OF HIGHER PEDAGOGICAL EDUCATION?

The research is an attempt to understand the nature of «innovation» phenomenon of, to outline its essential features. The urgency of the problem is due to the fact that in the context of new globalization challenges, paradigm shifts and transformational processes, the concept of innovation acquires the meaning of the strategic imperative of education of the third millennium, and innovation is considered a prerequisite (conditio sine qua non) for higher education. The purpose of the article is to clarify the essence of the phenomenon of «innovation», its genesis in the development of domestic and foreign higher pedagogical education, outline and analyze the determinants that define innovation as a prerequisite for the development of domestic higher pedagogical education. To achieve this goal, theoretical methods were used: analysis and generalization of scientific sources to outline the genesis, essence and attributive characteristics of the phenomenon of «innovation»; terminological analysis to clarify the basic concepts of the study; analysis of normative-legal documents regulating the development of higher education in Ukraine to clarify the legal support of the imperative of innovation in the development of higher pedagogical education; generalization and systematization of existing experience on this problem to formulate their own views on the innovative development of higher pedagogical education in a modern university as a scientific category.The term «innovation» nowadays is perhaps the most used in the context of paradigm and legislative changes, standardization of higher education, transformation of the content and technology of training, changing approaches to the organization and conduct of training and more. Changes in education and science, their development and constant renewal are a necessary condition for the life of modern society, and innovation becomes its alter ego. Having come a long way in history, «innovation» is now often seen as a tool for transforming various areas of socio-cultural activity; as an innovation that is not yet widespread in social activities or production; as the end result of the introduction of scientific and technological progress for the sustainable development of society. This contradiction of interpretations of the phenomenon of «innovation», on the one hand, and declaring it as a key tool for building a society of sustainable development, highlighted the need to explore the nature of «innovation», understand its determinism and basic elements, outline conceptual approaches to modernization of higher education. principles.

Blood Brothers: Moral Emotion, the Afro-Asian-Canadian Bloc, and South Africa’s Expulsion from the Commonwealth, 1960–1

During the 1961 Commonwealth Prime Ministers’ meeting, Canada’s prime minister, John Diefenbaker, joined with his non-white partners to form an ‘Afro-Asian-Canadian bloc’ that, for all intents and purposes, expelled South Africa from the association. Drawing on American, Australian, British, Canadian, and South African documents, this article argues that Diefenbaker did so in a bid to preserve the Commonwealth to bridge global racial divides and avert a potential “race war” in the making. The Commonwealth could thus retain its integrity as an institution responsive to global South concerns and chaperon them during a transitional phase to statehood. In so doing, newly independent peoples would be rendered culturally familiar and predictable, embedding them within the liberal international order. Consequently, this study offers insight into Canadian attitudes towards African decolonization and what the Commonwealth meant to Canada beyond its strategic imperative. By examining Ottawa’s approach to apartheid from 1960 to 1961 through the intersection of race and “moral emotion,” it advances a fresh approach to conceptualizing Canadian international history.

THE IMPORTANCE OF SUSTAINABILITY IMPLEMENTATION FOR BUSINESS CORPORATIONS

Sustainability is the current trend adopted by major business corporations in Malaysia. Abundant evidence reveals corporations are now recognizing that aligning business operation with sustainable ways adds more value. Previous literature shows sustainability has become a strategic imperative for all businesses. Apart from that, having a sustainable building in their asset portfolio contributes towards achieving the management strategic corporate goals. Therefore, this research aims to discuss what are the corporate goals or corporate expectations from going green. In conjunction with that, secondary data collection was thoroughly reviewed from previous studies. Then, primary data consolidates via questionnaire distribution on 117 persons directly involved in green management. The data then analyzed via relative importance index (RII) to identify the importance level for expected corporate goals. Derivation of deeper conceptual findings uses the sustainable triple bottom line theory as a guide. The result indicates four major goals of corporations including the environment, maximization of economic value, and minimization of economic and social costs. This research provides ample evidence for further research in green management.

Geo-Strategic Imperative of North-Western Border: Triangular Region Kalapani - Lipulekh and Limpiadhura of Nepal

The extreme north western region of Nepal is bordered with India and China and separated by Mahakali River. As per Article 5 of Sugauli treaty and various other evidences like, historical facts, ancient maps, river science, government correspondence and other documents proves that the river originating from Limpiadhura form the international boundary between Nepal and China. However, the certain parts of Nepalese territory have been under the control of India from seven decades. Owing to the historical and geographical proximity, Nepal has maintained special relations with her immediate neighbors, India and China, despite several complex situations. Remaining away from strategic competition and rivalry; and gaining maximum benefit from India and China as they are global and regional players would best serve the national interest of Nepal. Underdeveloped nature of physical infrastructures, nascent institutional structures and poor presence of government machinery in the North western border of Nepal has complicated the problem. Our neighbors should be sensitive and respectful to our concerns and interests. Delicate handling of border issues is in our interest. Nepal has become the center of geopolitical interest in the present world. Sands of geopolitics are constantly shifting in South Asia and Nepal cannot remain aloof from it. Influence in Nepal from competition and cooperation is rising. There is a need of cooperation for transit economy and trilateral cooperation. Nepal should use her diplomatic expertise and regain our territory by maintaining friendly and harmonious relations with her neighbors. Nepal and India shouldn’t delay in resolving such outstanding disputes. Both countries should bring their evidences and carefully examine that evidence by creating a favorable negotiating environment. Above all, national consensus on such sensitive issue is important.

Study of Adoption and Absorption of Emerging Technologies for Smart Supply Chain Management

The world has been witnessing the advent of a wide range of emerging technologies like machine learning, big data analytics, artificial intelligence, blockchain technology, internet of things, and others. In supply chain management (SCM) functions, these technologies have increasingly been playing a decisive role in improving the overall success of an organization. So, the purpose of this article was to understand the strategic imperative of adopting smart SCM utilizing these emerging technologies by Indian firms. Thus, the context was of an emerging economy like India from a dynamic capabilities' perspective. The authors undertook a qualitative research with a positivist approach by undertaking expert interviews with 14 respondents. The respondents were interviewed with a semi-structured open-ended questionnaire. The responses were content analyzed for themes. The SCM experts were engaged in the adoption of emerging technologies to transform SCM. The adoption of emerging technologies helped SCM functions of Indian firms to cater to the increased expectations of customers.

The Strategic Imperative and the Paradigm Shift in Economics

The very idea of strategic thinking is quite opposed to the tradition of linking the choices of agents, individual or collective, to the process of maximization under constraints. The theory of general equilibrium has closed the door to the notion of strategy, just as the theory of generalized free trade has closed that of sovereignty. But this paradigm is falling apart. With a new approach of radical uncertainty, something made even more obvious with the COVID-19 pandemic, we are relearning the science and art of strategy, the more so because we are living in a world of a balance of power. But what would be the definition of strategy? Quite clearly we must distinguish between state and company strategy. This debate is also at the very center of the controversy over the role and meaning of institutions in economics. There is also a variety of strategies and those having a distinct appetite for risk must seriously consider whether to practice the art of strategy or not.