Improving innovation and entrepreneurship education in higher institutions: the impact of "Mass Entrepreneurship and Innovation" education on undergraduates' entrepreneurial intentions

The exploration of the way"mass entrepreneurship and innovation"(MEI)education influences students'aspirations to become entrepreneurs has grown into an important area of analysis in studies related to higher education.This research intends to examine the consequences of MEI education on students'tendency towards entrepreneurship,and to put forward methods for augmenting the teaching of innovation and entrepreneurship in private higher educational establishments.To achieve this objective,questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were employed in the study,which involved a total of 197 students and five education experts.The statistical analysis of the questionnaire data revealed that MEI education was positively related to students'entrepreneurial intentions,and that both entrepreneurial experience and family entrepreneurial background played moderating roles in this relationship.The interview findings indicated that private universities could enhance educational reforms by designing talent training programs,developing diversified curricula,and developing more professional entrepreneurial platforms to encourage students'entrepreneurial intentions.This study offers fresh insights for improving and perfecting the mechanism of innovation and entrepreneurship education in private universities.

基于拍卖理论的动态多代理同类机调度算法

This paper addresses a multi-agent scheduling problem with uniform parallel machines owned by a resource agent and competing jobs with dynamic arrival times that belong to different consumer agents.All agents are self-interested and rational with the aim of maximizing their own objectives,resulting in intense resource competition among consumer agents and strategic behaviors of unwillingness to disclose private information.Within the context,a centralized scheduling approach is unfeasible,and a decentralized approach is considered to deal with the targeted problem.This study aims to generate a stable and collaborative solution with high social welfare while simultaneously accommodating consumer agents’preferences under incomplete information.For this purpose,a dynamic iterative auction-based approach based on a decentralized decision-making procedure is developed.In the proposed approach,a dynamic auction procedure is established for dynamic jobs participating in a realtime auction,and a straightforward and easy-to-implement bidding strategy without price is presented to reduce the complexity of bid determination.In addition,an adaptive Hungarian algorithm is applied to solve the winner determination problem efficiently.A theoretical analysis is conducted to prove that the proposed approach is individually rational and that the myopic bidding strategy is a weakly dominant strategy for consumer agents submitting bids.Extensive computational experiments demonstrate that the developed approach achieves high-quality solutions and exhibits considerable stability on largescale problems with numerous consumer agents and jobs.A further multi-agent scheduling problem considering multiple resource agents will be studied in future work.

Impact of correlated private signals on continuous-time insider trading

A model of continuous-time insider trading in which a risk-neutral in-sider possesses two imperfect correlated signals of a risky asset is studied.By conditional expectation theory and filtering theory,we first establish three lemmas:normal corre-lation,equivalent pricing and equivalent profit,which can guarantee to turn our model into a model with insider knowing full information.Then we investigate the impact of the two correlated signals on the market equilibrium consisting of optimal insider trading strategy and semi-strong pricing rule.It shows that in the equilibrium,(1)the market depth is constant over time;(2)if the two noisy signals are not linerly correlated,then all private information of the insider is incorporated into prices in the end while the whole information on the asset value can not incorporated into prices in the end;(3)if the two noisy signals are linear correlated such that the insider can infer the whole information of the asset value,then our model turns into a model with insider knowing full information;(4)if the two noisy signals are the same then the total ex ant profit of the insider is increasing with the noise decreasing,while down to O as the noise going up to infinity;(5)if the two noisy signals are not linear correlated then with one noisy signal fixed,the total ex ante profit of the insider is single-peaked with a unique minimum with respect to the other noisy signal value,and furthermore as the noisy value going to O it gets its maximum,the profit in the case that the real value is observed.

Impact of carbon disclosure on debt financing costs

Creditors,such as banks,often use disclosed environmental information to assess a company’s environmental risk and ensure the safety of debt funds.Consequently,carbon disclosures have become an important consideration for creditors when making investments.This study explores the relationship between carbon disclosure and debt financing costs using data on listed companies from 2008 to 2019.The results show that carbon disclosure can reduce the debt financing costs of enterprises,and that this influence is more significant for private companies than for state-owned enterprises.Instrumental variables and Propensity Score Matching(PSM)were used to evaluate the robustness of negative relationships.Furthermore,carbon disclosure has a more significant impact on debt costs with less environmental supervision pressure,weak residents’environmental awareness,and weak product market competition.These findings provide guidance for companies’carbon information disclosure and support the establishment of official carbon disclosure standards.

Enhancing Private Healthcare Effectiveness in Lagos State, Nigeria: An Overview of the Effect of Quality Improvement Initiatives and Implications for Sustainable Healthcare Delivery

Background: Nigeria, a nation grappling with rapid population growth, economic intricacies, and complex healthcare challenges, particularly in Lagos State, the economic hub and most populous state, faces the challenge of ensuring quality healthcare access. The overview of the effect of quality improvement initiatives in this paper focuses on private healthcare providers in Lagos State, Nigeria. The study assesses the impact of donor-funded quality improvement projects on these private healthcare facilities. It explores the level of participation, perceived support, and tangible effects of the initiatives on healthcare delivery within private healthcare facilities. It also examines how these initiatives influence patient inflow and facility ratings, and bring about additional benefits and improvements, provides insights into the challenges faced by private healthcare providers in implementing quality improvement projects and elicits recommendations for improving the effectiveness of such initiatives. Methods: Qualitative research design was employed for in-depth exploration, utilizing semi-structured interviews. Private healthcare providers in Lagos involved in the SP4FP Quality Improvement Project were purposively sampled for diversity. Face-to-face interviews elicited insights into participation, perceived support, and project effects. Questions covered participation levels, support perception, changes observed, challenges faced, and recommendations. Thematic analysis identified recurring themes from interview transcripts. Adherence to ethical guidelines ensured participant confidentiality and informed consent. Results: Respondents affirmed active involvement in the SP4FP Quality Improvement Project, echoing literature emphasizing private-sector collaboration with the public sector. While acknowledging positive influences on facility ratings, respondents highlighted challenges within the broader Nigerian healthcare landscape affecting patient numbers. Respondents cited tangible improvements, particularly in staff management and patient care processes, validating the positive influence of quality improvement projects. Financial constraints emerged as a significant challenge, aligning with existing literature emphasizing the pragmatic difficulties faced by private healthcare providers. Conclusions: This study illuminates the complex landscape of private healthcare provision in Lagos State, emphasizing the positive impact of donor-funded quality improvement projects. The findings provide nuanced insights, guiding policymakers, healthcare managers, and practitioners toward collaborative, sustainable improvements. As Nigeria progresses, these lessons will be crucial in shaping healthcare policies prioritizing population well-being.

The Impact of Privatization on Terminal Efficiency: A Case Study of Tema Port

Port and terminal efficiency are of utmost importance to the container shipping industry due to their significance in enhancing the competitive advantage of ports within a region. Consequently, there have always been notable variations of studies around it. This paper analyzes the impact of privatization on terminal efficiency using the Port of Tema as a Case Study. The main objective of this paper is to analyze the efficiency trends of the public and private terminals in the port over the years. To achieve this objective, DEA-CCR methodology was employed to calculate the annual technical efficiency trends of the private and public terminals using four input variables and three output variables. The main results of the paper indicated that the public and private terminals were efficient for multiple years. However, the efficiency scores over the years demonstrated inconsistency, exhibiting notable fluctuations. The findings of this study will aid policymakers across the region on policies relating to the efficiency and ownership structure of ports and terminals.

FINE TUNING THE MARKET

Promoting social capital investment and mobilizing private enterprises are important tools to promote economic development,expand social employment,solve livelihood problems,and achieve common prosperity.However,in recent years,the growth rate of private investment has been dampened by the COVID-19pandemic and other negative factors,making the need to improve the vitality of private investment more dire.The Public-Private Partnership(PPP) mode has been an effective path to improve infrastructure and public service supply by attracting private capital to participate in the supply of public goods to better meet public demand and alleviate financial pressure on local governments.

Pro-Environmental Civic Participation in the USA: The Effects of Social Media, Pro-Environmental Lifestyle and Climate Experiences

This study addresses the link between social media use and pro-environmental civic participation considering the moderating effect of social media affordances (public realm) on one hand, and lifestyle behaviors and climate change experiences (personal realm) on the other. We combine communication theory and behavioral models and using a sample of USA individuals (N = 7225) based on the American Trends Panel to predict variations in pro-environmental behavior. We show that social networks rather than information are more effective in predicting pro-environmental behavior. Moreover, a pro-environmental lifestyle as well as climate change experiences at the community level increase the likelihood for pro-environmental participation. However, affordances related to socioeconomic variations generate variations to pro-environmental civic participation. We conclude that in order to capture the depth of pro-environmental civic participation, it is necessary to theoretically and empirically bridge between private and public expressions of pro-environmental awareness.

Metropolitan Housing Development in Urban Fringe Areas-A Case Study of Three Metropolitan Cities of South Africa: Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni and Tshwane

Purpose:The metropolitan cities of Johannesburg,Ekurhuleni and Tshwane play an important role in the economy of the Gauteng province in South Africa.The region constitutes to 22.4 percent of the total population of South Africa and has a strong presence and contributes in areas of manufacturing sector,financial and business services,retail and wholesale trade,etc.The rapid urban population,increase in the informal settlements and socio-economic opportunities has resulted in considerable urban sprawl in and around the urban fringe areas of these metropolitan cities.The urban fringe areas of these metros often come under the influence of rapid urbanization process and pressures.Coupled with the economical and potential land dynamics and lack of priority of spatial development guidelines,these areas attract rapid and haphazard development from communities and developers.Research Design/Methodology:This research is based on a qualitative approach through a comprehensive literature review that included content analysis of key documents on housing sector such as IDPs(Integrated Development Plans),Municipal Annual Reports,Growth Development Strategies,and among other sectoral documents on housing sector.Some of the key priority issues considered in the housing sector included:eradication of housing backlogs,spatial restructuring of housing,provision of choice in terms of location,tenure and housing typology.Findings:The current paper discusses the approaches of metropolitan housing development processes in three metropolitan cities of South Africa from Gauteng region,namely:Johannesburg,Ekurhuleni and Tshwane.The paper discusses the existing housing sectoral scenario along with the fringe areas in three cities with focus on:formal and informal settlements,housing segregation and the backlogs,current institutional arrangements,role of public private participation,and scope for alternate mechanisms.The paper concludes in discussion on sustainable development options for housing development in urban fringe areas.

Women on Boards of Directors

This research aims to measure the current gender representation in membership of boards of directors,and to study the factors affecting the presence of women on boards.The results of the study will support the decision makers and policy makers at all levels by providing knowledge that contributes to bridging the current gap in participation of women boards.The methodology used in this research is the descriptive analytical approach,which relies on quantitative methods in the process of collecting and analyzing data.This study represents the boards of directors in the three sectors(public,private,and non-profit)in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,The study sample contained 350 targets,where a random sample of 150 people in the public sector,100 people in the private sector,and 100 people in the non-profit sector were selected.The research result found that the majority of the responses believe that the lack of experience and training,and social factors,are the most impact areas of explaining the reasons for the existence of a gap in women’s membership in boards of directors in the three sectors.And the most important reasons for the existence of a gender gap in board membership are:there is no statutory minimum percentage for women’s representation on boards of directors,and scarcity of female competencies in general,and the lack of women occupying leadership positions.

Influence of host age and host deprivation on longevity, egg load dynamics and oviposition rate in Microplitis rufiventris

Adult size, longevity, egg load dynamics and oviposition ofMicroplitis rufiventris Kok. which began their development in the first, second, third （preferred hosts） or fourth （non-preferred hosts） instar larvae of Spodoptera littoralis （Boisd.） were studied. The parasitoid size was largely determined by the initial host size at parasitism. Non-ovipositing females derived from older hosts lived for longer periods than those derived from younger ones. However, the ovipositing females, irrespective of their size, lived for almost the same periods. At emergence, the oviducts of adult females contain a significant amount of mature eggs available for oviposition for a few hours on eclosion day. Egg load increases during the early phase of adult life. The amount of additional mature eggs and rate of egg maturation per hour was greater for wasps derived from preferred hosts compared with those in females derived from non-preferred hosts. The pattern of egg production in M. rufiventris females depended on the availability of hosts for parasitization. Host-deprived females depleted the egg complement with aging; the longer the host deprivation, the lower the oviduct egg load. Marked reduction in both realized or potential fecundity of host-deprived females was observed following host availability. Host privation for more than 3 days induced a marked deficit fecundity pattern through the female＇ s life. The realized fecundity was determined by the interaction among host availability, the number of eggs that are matured over the female＇ s life span, oviposition rate and host size from which the female was derived. These results suggest that： （i） M. rufiventris wasp is a weak synovigenic species; （ii） the maturation of additional eggs is inhibited once the maximum oviduct egg load is reached; （iii） the egg load of the newly emerged female is significantly less than the realized fecundity; and （iv） because M. rufiventris females oviposit fewer eggs when they begin depleting their egg supply at 3 days, augmentative releases will require release immediately following emergence to ensure the highest parasitization rate in the field.

Research on the Innovative Decisions of Supermarket Private Brands and Designated Manufacturers

One of the core competencies of a supermarket lies in its branding.With the continuous development of the market economy and the ongoing evolution of consumer demand,private brands have progressively emerged as significant contributors to supermarket growth.However,a pivotal developmental challenge for supermarkets is navigating the innovative decision-making process between private brands and designated manufacturers.This paper aims to investigate the innovative decisions between private brands and designated manufacturers,along with the relevant promotional strategies employed during entry into the United States market.

Computational Strategy Research on the Development of Kiruna,in Sweden

In Kiruna,nearly all the residents support the migration plan in order to make LKAB able to continue the mining process.Based on current condition,a larger part of this town will be demolished by the sinking land caused by iron ore mining processing operated by LKAB.Since then,most of the buildings in the sinking district will be relocated in another district.However,the situation in Kiruna is not quite the same as when this kind of migration happens in another place.In other place,while migration happens,even if not most,a large part of the local residents will resist and fight for their house and properties.Concentrated on the ownership of different buildings and tried find the relationship between the public and private buildings to discover some issue that will help to work on the computational urban design.

Comparative Analysis of Differences among Northern,Jiangnan,and Lingnan Classical Private Gardens Using Principal Component Cluster Method

This paper investigates the design essence of Chinese classical private gardens,integrating their design elements and fundamental principles.It systematically analyzes the unique characteristics and differences among classical private gardens in the Northern,Jiangnan,and Lingnan regions.The study examines nine classical private gardens from Northern China,Jiangnan,and Lingnan by utilizing the advanced tool of principal component cluster analysis.Based on literature analysis and field research,273 variables were selected for principal component analysis,from which four components with higher contribution rates were chosen for further study.Subsequently,we employed clustering analysis techniques to compare the differences among the three types of gardens.The results reveal that the first principal component effectively highlights the differences between Jiangnan and Lingnan private gardens.The second principal component serves as the key to defining the types of Northern private gardens and distinguishing them from the other two types,and the third principal component indicates that Lingnan private gardens can be categorized into two distinct types as well.

Research on the Development Path and Mechanism of“Double-Qualified”Teachers in Private Universities Under the Background of Digital Transformation

This article explores the development path and mechanism of“double-qualified”teachers in private universities under digital transformation.Through literature review,theoretical analysis,and other research methods,this study conducts an in-depth analysis of the impact of digital technology on the development of“double-qualified”teachers in private colleges and universities and puts forward corresponding strategies and suggestions.Research shows that digital transformation provides new opportunities and challenges for developing“double-qualified”teachers in private colleges and universities.To adapt to this trend,teachers must continuously improve their digital skills,and schools should establish a complete incentive mechanism and evaluation system,strengthen school-enterprise cooperation and the integration of industry and education to promote the comprehensive development of“double-qualified”teachers,and provide a useful guideline for private universities to promote the development of“double-qualified”teachers in digital transformation.

Principals’and Teachers’Awareness,Knowledge,and Differentiation of Privatization-A Secondary Publication

Based on the keynote report by Professor Martin Thrupp,this paper discusses the hollowing out of education provision by the state and the permeation of managerialism.It was pointed out that principals and boards of trustees in socioeconomically advantaged areas may not be willing to share their benefits with schools in less advantaged areas.The new liberal policies have hollowed out state provision of education,so the education system has come to rely heavily on private actors.This paper also presents the current stage of privatization in Japan and the principals’and teachers’perceptions of privatization.

Research on the High-Quality Development Path of Listed Private Education Groups

The rapid growth of the education industry and private education groups has brought the high-quality development of listed private education companies into focus for both the educational sector and the capital market.This study employs the fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis(fsQCA)method to explore pathways to high-quality development for these companies.Necessity analysis confirms that no single factor guarantees a company’s success,highlighting the importance of multi-factor interactions.Three main paths to high-quality development are identified:human resource optimization,precise market positioning,and comprehensive advantage.Conversely,four development paths for non-high-level companies are identified:dual insufficiency in resources and market,high turnover and over-investment,scale expansion with resource mismatch,and inadequate human resource development.The findings indicate that optimal allocation of educational resources,precise market positioning,rational resource allocation,and staff training are crucial for achieving high-quality development.Robustness tests,which raise the consistency threshold,verify the reliability and stability of the results.These findings provide a reference for policymakers,investors,and managers in the education industry.

A Study on the Internal Control and Countermeasures of Fixed Assets in Private Universities:A Case Study of N College

Fixed assets in universities occupy an important position in university management due to their wide coverage and large amount of money.Due to insufficient funding supply,private universities mainly focus on the allocation and utilization of fixed assets,which reflects the overall characteristics of cautious allocation,maximum utilization,and delayed elimination in the actual management of fixed assets.This article aims to conduct research and analysis on the entire lifecycle process of the allocation,use,and disposal of fixed assets in private universities,summarize the problems existing in the internal control of fixed assets in private universities,and propose corresponding countermeasures and suggestions in a targeted manner.

Challenges and Countermeasures for Private Universities in Providing Education for International Students

Private universities are one of the forces driving the internationalization of higher education in China.Private universities are taking advantage of the trend to provide education for international students,playing an important role in the high-quality development of higher education in China.However,they also face challenges such as insufficient policy support,lack of management experience,and limited enrollment channels.Breakthroughs can be made through methods such as refining content,expanding enrollment channels,and attracting talent.

What Business Models Best Suit the Private Sector in Achieving the SDGs

Since the United Nations Sustainable development goals and the 2030 agenda were initiated in 2015,it has provided governments with a comprehensive blueprint to take action and meet the challenges of the world’s most pressing issues today.But the private sector also plays a large role in contributing to the problems highlighted in the SDGs and companies ranging from many different industries have increasingly become more involved in developing new and innovative solutions to solve the issues highlighted in the SDGs.Social and environmental accountability has been one of the areas that the private sector has been focusing its attention on.Companies in the corporate sector across all industries have adopted Environmental,Social,and Governance(ESG)regulations and targets,that aim to ensure ethical responsibility within private companies and promote transparency about their role in promoting social and environmental well-being across the world.This has allowed many companies to align their values and business models to emphasize the importance of the SDGs.Furthermore,innovative technologies are being utilized to ensure that public reports about the company’s practices are fully accountable and transparent to the public community and the overall private sector.For example,some private companies are using Natural Language Processing and Artificial Intelligence to analyze sustainable practices highlighted in the company’s ESG reports and see if they are genuine and free of greenwashing.This shows that technologies are playing a key role in promoting corporate accountability in terms of sustainability and encouraging private companies to adhere to the guidelines highlighted within the SDGs.Furthermore,private companies have adapted their business models to better promote innovations and collaboration with governments,other private companies as well as NGOs.Since the SDGs were designed to be interconnected and not siloed into their own different challenges,many companies who adopt the SDGs as a major sustainability framework will often develop partnerships and connections with other private sector groups so that they could develop new innovative solutions to meet the challenges posed by current global issues.This is especially prevalent in the clean energy sector,which aims to solve SDG 7 and SDG 13 both important in eradicating the issue of climate change.For example,the solar energy private sector has been currently collaborating with a wide range of universities and research institutions in order to develop solar panels that are more energy efficient and affordable for everyday consumers,while still allowing the private companies to generate significant returns in revenue.When private sector Industries adopt the measures highlighted in the SDGs,not only does it allow them to work with other industries to contribute to combating the world’s most pressing issues,but also maintains and improves their sources of revenue and profit.Overall,in order to meet the world’s most pressing challenges and issues,the private sector has increasingly adopted the SDGs in their business models,so that they would be able to better collaborate with others to develop innovative solutions and to bridge commitment to sustainable development throughout different industries.