Traffic Incident Management Performance Measures: Ranking Agencies on Roadway Clearance Time

This study develops a procedure to rank agencies based on their incident responses using roadway clearance times for crashes. This analysis is not intended to grade agencies but to assist in identifying agencies requiring more training or resources for incident management. Previous NCHRP reports discussed usage of different factors including incident severity, roadway characteristics, number of lanes involved and time of incident separately for estimating the performance. However, it does not tell us how to incorporate all the factors at the same time. Thus, this study aims to account for multiple factors to ensure fair comparisons. This study used 149,174 crashes from Iowa that occurred from 2018 to 2021. A Tobit regression model was used to find the effect of different variables on roadway clearance time. Variables that cannot be controlled directly by agencies such as crash severity, roadway type, weather conditions, lighting conditions, etc., were included in the analysis as it helps to reduce bias in the ranking procedure. Then clearance time of each crash is normalized into a base condition using the regression coefficients. The normalization makes the process more efficient as the effect of uncontrollable factors has already been mitigated. Finally, the agencies were ranked by their average normalized roadway clearance time. This ranking process allows agencies to track their performance of previous crashes, can be used in identifying low performing agencies that could use additional resources and training, and can be used to identify high performing agencies to recognize for their efforts and performance.

Vocational Identity and Agency of Chinese College Students: Effects of Filial Piety and Implications in Career Education

Balancing family obligations and personal aspirations is crucial for college students in making life decisions.This critical review examined empirical studies on the effects of filial piety on college students’vocational identity and agency.According to identity capital theory,college students need a sense of agency to construct identity consciously and adapt to adulthood.Filial piety may profoundly influence this process as the core value and internalized social structure for the role of being an adult child in a Chinese family.However,no studies have been conducted from the identity capital perspective.This review found that filial piety had direct effects on college students'vocational identity and also indirect effects by shaping specific agency competencies.The impact of filial piety on the agency was more likely to occur through providing normative guidance about adult roles,influencing how college students view family as a supportive resource,and perpetuating parenting experiences.Based on these findings,this article suggested further examining the mediating role of agency between filial piety and identity development,as well as the effects of filial piety on the psychological foundation of agency development.This review suggested enhancing the agency of college students and encouraging reflections on filial piety in career education.

Effect of Brisk Walking on Self-Care Agency or Care Dependency among Colorectal Cancer Patients with Permanent Stoma

Objective:The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of brisk walking as an intervention for self-care agency and care dependency in patients with permanent colorectal cancer stoma.Method:This study adopted a quasi-experimental research design,specifically a non-equivalent control group pre-test and post-test design.Utilizing the Exercise of Self-Care Agency Scale(ESCA)and Care Dependency Scale(CDS),a survey was administered to 64 patients from a hospital in Shandong Province.The statistical methods used for analyzing data included frequency,mean,standard deviation(SD),independent t-test,P-value calculation,and dependent t-test.Result:After two months of a brisk walking exercise program,participants in the experimental group had a higher level of self-care agency than before the experiment(P<0.05),and their level of care dependency was significantly reduced(P<0.05).Participants in the control group also showed higher levels of self-care agency(P<0.05)and lower levels of care dependency(P<0.05)after two months compared to their levels before the two months.Conclusion:The brisk walking program had a positive impact on patients’self-care agency and reduced their care dependency.

The Service Model of International Advertising Agencies

This theme takes Euro RSCG Worldwide as example to find out the possible uniform model for all advertising agencies.

Types and Models of Product-Service System in Design Agencies

Product-service system design(PSSD)plays a significant role in both design theory and practice with increasing importance.Although scholars have made significant efforts to delineate its definition,methods,and applications,misunderstandings about PSSD persist widely across design agencies and academia.This study aims to outline the various types and models of product-service systems(PSSs)based on inputs from product design agencies.To achieve this purpose,this study applies a two-step research method,comprising a Q-sorting procedure followed by hypothesis testing.This allows us to study the business scope and design model of each design agency from a field research perspective.We propose a design framework with four basic types of PSSs,11 extended types of PSSs,and 4P-8D PSSD models.The current study has theoretical and practical implications.For academics,our models are clearly classified and validated.For practitioners,our models of PSSs can support design agencies in clearly recognizing their position within the design industry,allowing them to select the appropriate types and models to facilitate their future development.Our study also provides helpful guidances for college graduates,cutting-edge designers,and new design studios.

Are Electric Buses a Good Option for Smaller Transit Agencies?

Antelope Valley Transit Authority(AVTA)wants to find out if electric buses might be a good fit for its agency and oth-ers like them.This year AVTA is embarking on an exciting demonstration project with two BYD electric buses expected to be placed in service by April—all thanks to a supportive board and a generous donation of funding for zero emission bus technology.

Fuzzy VIKOR Approach to Evaluate the Information Security Policies and Analyze the Content of Press Agencies in Gulf Countries

A news agency is an organization that gathers news reports and sells them to subscribing news organization, such as newspapers, magazines, radio and television broadcasters. A news agency may also be referred to as a wire service, newswire, or news service. The main purpose of this paper is to evaluate the security policies and analyze the content of five press agencies in gulf countries which are (Kuwait News Agency (KUNA), Emirates News Agency (WAM), Saudi Press Agency (SPA), Bahrain News Agency (BNA), and Oman News Agency (OMA)) by using a fuzzy VIKOR approach where linguistic variables are applied to solve the uncertainties and subjectivities in expert decision making. Fuzzy VIKOR approach is one of the best Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) techniques working in fuzzy environment. This study benefits security and content analysis experts know which press agency has the mandate and the competence to educate the public on news agencies. Besides, this paper contributes to Gulf agencies in helping them in their resolve to ensure the quality of content information and information security policies over the internet.

What Can and Cannot Be Done about Rating Agencies

Credit Rating Agencies (CRAs) are prominent participants in the assessment of credit risk by financial markets. They determine and publish credit ratings, which represent the CRA’s opinions on issuers’ relative probability of default. The market for credit ratings is currently dominated in most western countries by three players:

Relevant State Agencies Will Conduct a Joint Annual Inspection on Foreign Invested Enterprises

The Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Coop-eration (MOFTEC),the State Administration forIndustry and Commerce (SAIC),the State Economicand Trade Commission (SETC),the Ministry of Finance(MOF),the State Administration for Exchange Control(SAEC),the State Taxation Bureau (STB) and the GeneralCustoms Administration (GCA) (hereinafter referred to asCompetent Joint Annual Inspection Agencies) have jointlyissued a circular a few days before which stipulates that,from the year 1997 onwards,a joint annual inspection willbe conducted on FIEs in order to further improve and stan-dardize China’s investment environment,lessen the burdenson the shoulders of enterprises and enhance the level of ad-ministration over FIEs.

The Crisis and the Countermeasures in the Growth of China’s Travel Agencies under the Influences of COVID-19

After more than 40 years of development,China's travel agency industry has grown rapidly,but the situation of scattered,small,weak and poor has not fundamentally changed.The unexpected the public health event crisis of COVID-19 in 2020 has brought great influence on China's travel agency industry,which makes China's travel agency industry face double challenges at home and abroad,but also breeds opportunities for development.In the face of the crisis,China's travel agency industry has responded to it,trying to restore confidence and revive the economy.This paper puts forward some idea from the aspects of crisis management,marketing and product development,including the establishment and implementation of the normalized tourism public crisis response mechanism;the reconstruction of the tourism image of the travel agency industry;the strengthening of marketing,with special attention to new media marketing;the emphasis on natural education,and the enhancement of the upgrading of tourism products.

The Effect of Customer Verbal Aggression on Burnout in Frontline Employees in Hotels and Travel Agencies: The Moderating Role of Perceived Supervisor Support

This study aimed to assess the effect of customer verbal aggression(CVA)on job burnout(JB)in frontline employee in both hotels and travel agencies,trying to reveal if there is a difference between both sectors in this context.The study additionally tested the moderation role of perceived supervisor support(PSS)in the relation between customer verbal aggression and burnout in hotels and travel agencies.Two versions of the questionnaire were distributed online.The first among hotels employees and the second was addressed to travel agencies employees;613 were retrieved and analyzed using the version of Spss 23.0.The results showed a significant difference among the level of customer verbal aggression,job burnout,and perceived supervisor support in hotels and travel agencies.Although there was a significant relation between customer verbal aggression and job burnout among frontline employees in both settings,this relationship was moderated by PSS in hotels but not in travel agencies.Eventually,the study concludes with recommendations and practical managerial implications in this regard and it can be considered as a first step for helping practitioners to efficiently manage such a phenomenon.

Ministries and Agencies of Concurrent Commissionership to

State Economic and Trade Commission;State Education Commission:Stite Science and Technologv Commission;State Nationalities Affairs Commission

Profile of Declared Work Accidents at the Parakou Agency of the National Social Security Fund, 2015-2021, Benin

Introduction: Work accidents (WA) have consequences for both the individual and the company. The objective of this study is to study the profile of work accidents declared to the Parakou agency of the National Social Security Fund (CNSS) from 2015 to 2021. Method: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study with retrospective data collection. It concerned workers affiliated with the CNSS in Parakou, victims of declared WA whose file was available and exploitable. The sampling was exhaustive. Data was collected from registers and worker records. The variables studied were socio-demographic and related to the accident. They were analyzed using R version 4.1 software. Results: The annual incidence rate of WA varied from 5.8% in 2015 to 1.7% in 2021. The victims were 90.6% male. There were more subjects aged 28 to 37 years (37.1%). Workers and laborers were the most concerned. Fractures (22.9%) were the major lesions. At 38.5% they sat in the thoracic limbs and at 22.5% in the pelvic limbs. The majority (63.6%) of these accidents occurred in the workplace. The processing industry sector was mainly (52.1%) the place of accidents. Conclusion: The prevalence of WA declared to the agency of the National Social Security Fund of Parakou from 2015 to 2021 is decreasing. The most affected were young people. It is important to assess their socio-economic impacts.

Isolating the female agency‑driven development factor in external sovereign emerging market debt

The underlying literature hypothesises and provides randomised evidence for the positive impact of promoting the broad-based inclusion,empowerment,and representation of women on regional ecosystems.This study seeks to isolate a female agencydriven development factor in external sovereign emerging market debt and finds evidence for superior risk-adjusted returns from tilting towards female agency leaders.We propose the female agency factor as an additional scope in the modern investor’s toolbox of holistic credit assessment,allowing investors to isolate the issuers which are the most effective sovereign transmission mechanisms of sustainable development capital.This contribution to the corpus supports the notion of integrating sustainability factors into portfolio construction and reinforces the argument for supporting femaleled development from a financial markets’perspective.

Search Engine Optimization,Competitive Advantage and Market Performance of Registered Tours and Travel Agencies in Nairobi City County,Kenya

COVID-19 is a devastating pandemic with widespread negative health,social,and economic consequences.Due to drastic changes in the business environment of tour and travel agencies,firms and marketing managers can now use search engine optimization to effectively position themselves.The study’s main goal is to evaluate the effect of search engine optimization on the market performance of registered tours and travel agencies in Nairobi County,Kenya.Kenya’s tourism ministry and state government work hard to improve the business climate for tour and travel companies.Despite the overall positive image,international tourist market growth rates in Kenya have been 3.5 percent slower from 2017 to 2019 compared to previous years.This was further aggregated by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the year 2020,when the growth rate of tours and travel agencies fell by 65%.The study’s main goal is to evaluate the effect of search engine optimization on the market performance of registered tours and travel agencies in Nairobi County,Kenya.This study adopted a positivist philosophy.Both descriptive and explanatory research designs were used.A self-administered semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 324 registered tours and travels agencies picked from and a sample of 179 were used.Data analysis included the development and interpretation of both descriptive and inferential statistics,such as frequencies,mean,percentages,and standard deviation,and was presented using tables and numerical values.The results of regression analysis established that search engine optimization had a positive and significant effect on market performance of the registered tours and travel agencies picked from a sample of 179.The study recommends that agency management ensure that the firm’s website is easily accessible in order to improve agency performance.Using the internet to gain a large market share can assist tours and travel agencies in improving the performance and income of their websites.

Chinese Advertising Agencies Compete with Foreign Rivalsfor China's Market

AnofficialwiththeChineseAdvertisingAssociationsaidinaninterviewthatthegreatestchallengefacingadvertisinginChinaistheglobalbusinessoftheinternationaladvertisingmultinationals.Itwasthe1980sthatadvertisingmultinationalsenteredChina.WiththeopeningofChina...

Environmental complaint insights through text mining based on the driver,pressure,state,impact,and response(DPSIR)framework:Evidence from an Italian environmental agency

Individuals,local communities,environmental associations,private organizations,and public representatives and bodies may all be aggrieved by environmental problems concerning poor air quality,illegal waste disposal,water contamination,and general pollution.Environmental complaints represent the expressions of dissatisfaction with these issues.As the timeconsuming of managing a large number of complaints,text mining may be useful for automatically extracting information on stakeholder priorities and concerns.The paper used text mining and semantic network analysis to crawl relevant keywords about environmental complaints from two online complaint submission systems:online claim submission system of Regional Agency for Prevention,Environment and Energy(Arpae)(“Contact Arpae”);and Arpae's internal platform for environmental pollution(“Environmental incident reporting portal”)in the Emilia-Romagna Region,Italy.We evaluated the total of 2477 records and classified this information based on the claim topic(air pollution,water pollution,noise pollution,waste,odor,soil,weather-climate,sea-coast,and electromagnetic radiation)and geographical distribution.Then,this paper used natural language processing to extract keywords from the dataset,and classified keywords ranking higher in Term Frequency-Inverse Document Frequency(TF-IDF)based on the driver,pressure,state,impact,and response(DPSIR)framework.This study provided a systemic approach to understanding the interaction between people and environment in different geographical contexts and builds sustainable and healthy communities.The results showed that most complaints are from the public and associated with air pollution and odor.Factories(particularly foundries and ceramic industries)and farms are identified as the drivers of environmental issues.Citizen believed that environmental issues mainly affect human well-being.Moreover,the keywords of“odor”,“report”,“request”,“presence”,“municipality”,and“hours”were the most influential and meaningful concepts,as demonstrated by their high degree and betweenness centrality values.Keywords connecting odor(classified as impacts)and air pollution(classified as state)were the most important(such as“odor-burnt plastic”and“odor-acrid”).Complainants perceived odor annoyance as a primary environmental concern,possibly related to two main drivers:“odor-factory”and“odorsfarms”.The proposed approach has several theoretical and practical implications:text mining may quickly and efficiently address citizen needs,providing the basis toward automating(even partially)the complaint process;and the DPSIR framework might support the planning and organization of information and the identification of stakeholder concerns and priorities,as well as metrics and indicators for their assessment.Therefore,integration of the DPSIR framework with the text mining of environmental complaints might generate a comprehensive environmental knowledge base as a prerequisite for a wider exploitation of analysis to support decision-making processes and environmental management activities.

ESG责任履行对企业风险的影响研究

ESG责任履行是“双碳”目标框架的应有之义,更是企业防范化解金融风险、绿色发展提质增效的必由之路。基于2009—2020年中国A股上市公司样本,构建双重固定模型实证检验了ESG责任履行对企业风险的影响。研究发现:ESG责任履行和企业风险之间存在显著的U形关系,其中该U形关系在社会责任和公司治理维度、非国际“四大”会计师事务所审计的企业和处在成熟期和衰退期的企业中更加显著。进一步研究发现:融资约束和代理冲突在ESG责任履行和企业风险的U形关系中发挥传导作用;同时,分析师关注度和机构投资者持股比例可以负向调节ESG责任履行与企业风险二者之间的U形关系;而ESG评级不确定性和“漂绿”策略会抑制ESG责任履行的风险防治作用。据此,应构建并完善与我国国情相适应的ESG信息披露制度,引导企业适度履行ESG责任,在ESG转型过程中注重内部监管和风险管控,助力经济绿色转型深入推进。