Core Competencies and Resource Allocation in the Performance of Bottled Water Industry

Research question: This paper examines the influence of core competencies, resource allocation and water sector standards on the performance of firms in the bottled water industry. Motivation: For firms in the bottled water industry to remain afloat, their performance against their targets needs to be assessed (Murugesan et al., 2016). Examining trends over time is essential since stakeholders and investors are concerned with enhanced performance. This study conceptualizes that the performance of firms dealing with bottled water are influenced by core competencies (Hirindu, 2017), resource allocation (Catherine & Lee, 2017) and that there is an intervening effect of water sector standards. Idea: The idea behind this study is to model the relationship among core competencies, resource allocation and firm performance in the bottled water industry and also to examine the moderating effect of water sector standards in explaining firm performance (Ichoroh, 2021). Data: The study used quantitative cross-sectional survey design of which the population of interest comprised of 80 licensed bottled water manufacturing firms in Kenya. Open and closed ended questionnaires were administered to managers of bottled water firms. Data on demographic characteristics, firms core competencies, resource allocation and sector standards were collected. Tools: Factor Analysis was used to scale, classify, delineate patterns and enhance hypothesis testing, while structural equation modelling was applied to infer whether the survey items matched the measured constructs. Findings: The indicators of core competences had 57% variation on firm performance and increase in core competences by a factor of 0.804% led to improvement of firm performance by 1%. The indicators for resource allocation had 17% variation on firm performance and the marginal effect was 1.738%. The water sector standards intervening effect in the relationship between core competence and firm performance was found not to be significant but the intervening effect of water sector standards on resource allocation and firm performance was significant. Contribution: The study gives indicators of repositioning strategies in the bottled water industry and provides insights to the government on policy regulations and standards.

Veterinary Education during Covid-19 and Beyond—Challenges and Mitigating Approaches

The public health implications of the Covid-19 pandemic have caused unprecedented and unexpected challenges for veterinary schools worldwide. They are grappling with a wide range of issues to ensure that students can be trained and assessed appropriately, despite the international, national, and local restrictions placed on them. Moving the delivery of knowledge content largely online will have had a positive and/or negative impact on veterinary student learning gain which is yet to be clarified. Workplace learning is particularly problematic in the current climate, which is concerning for graduates who need to develop, and then demonstrate, practical core competences. Means to optimise the learning outcomes in a hybrid model of curriculum delivery are suggested. Specific approaches could include the use of video, group discussion, simulation and role play, peer to peer and interprofessional education.

Revisiting competences of adult learning facilitators: Perspectives from the Mongolian context

Competent adult learning facilitators play a vital role in improving the quality of adult learning programmes. This article thus explores common and core competences of adult learning facilitators from the perspective of key stakeholders, such as facilitators, adult learners and administrators. By synthesising previous international studies, we developed a survey and collected data in Mongolia ( n = 227). We identified adult learning facilitators’ common and core competences focusing on their teaching role. As found, areas of adult learners’ needs assessment, communication and motivation should be integrated in professional development programmes in order to aim for a better completion rate and higher participation of target audiences in adult learning programmes.

Contributions of the Simplified Competency Management Model to a Municipal Health Secretariat

Objective: to present the contributions of the Simplified Competency Management Model in a municipal health secretariat. Method: research of integrated mixed methods of exploratory-descriptive type. The model was applied in a southern Brazilian city, in the following stages: documentary, questionnaire, mapping of gaps and educational proposal. Results: in the first stage, after documentary research, a total of 14 general core competences were described and a questionnaire with specific core competences was chosen, with confirmation of correlation among them; in the second stage, the importance and expression competence at work degrees were obtained, after the questionnaires were filled out by 74 municipal public health managers; in the third one, a formula was adopted for the training priority degree and its classification; the fourth stage presented an educational proposal for the development of one of the competences with the highest priority degree. Conclusion: the model brings contributions by describing general core competences, after documentary research; carrying out the correlation between a questionnaire, containing specific core competences with the general ones; by mapping gaps; and by the proposal of learning trails for the development of competences.