PRIZREN SOCIAL SCIENCE JOURNAL

REINVENTING QUALITATIVE DATA COLLECTION BOUNDARIES IN PANDEMIC DISPENSATIONS LIKE THE COVID-19

2023-06-03T10:48:22+00:00

The newly discovered coronavirus (COVID-19) has changed the traditional methods of conducting qualitative research which, by nature, heavily relies on face-to-face interaction through interviews, field work, and focus group discussions for data collection. However, the various COVID-19 safety protocols, including physical distancing, mask wearing, quarantines, restrictions of national and international travels as well as the need to limits one’s movements to reduce exposure to the virus, have all disrupted traditional methods of qualitative data collection, thereby leaving researchers stranded. This article explores a number of other methods which researchers can utilize to achieve the same results released by face-to-face interactions. These methods include the use of digital voice, video, and text-based tools, online surveys, and content analysis. Drawing from a qualitative study conducted during a lockdown in Zimbabwe between May and June 2020, the article demonstrates how these tools can be used to generate data or to sample data that is already available to satisfy research questions and meet research objectives.

QUALITY COSTS FROM AN ENVIRONMENTAL ACCOUNTING PERSPECTIVE: THE CASE OF THE DEEPWATER HORIZON

2023-04-04T07:54:07+00:00

When we look at the past of human history, it is known that numerous events that cause loss of life and property have occurred. The negativities experienced arise due to both the human hand and the reactions of nature. The accident doesn't say I'm coming, but it can give a signal! Because when looking at the cause of many events, it is possible to see that some messages are actually hidden. For example, the decrease in the diversity of living species comes from the fact that humans are killing nature. Considering the losses here, it is not possible not to mention the concept of cost. It is clear that every positive or negative event or situation experienced has a cost in one's life. At this point, what is needed to manage costs and maintain human life on a higher quality ground? Just as nature prefers to receive in return for what it offers, human beings will want to receive in return for their attitudes and behaviors. Then, two key tools emerge, on which man must concentrate in the nature he lives in; quality and cost. Because, in the face of the concept of quality, which consists of living to the standards that should be, the costs, which are the cost of the relevant life, show themselves. Therefore, the issue of quality costs is very important in the continuation of human life. This study, it is aimed to examine the Deepwater Horizon oil platform accident in terms of quality costs and to make suggestions in terms of quality costs to prevent its recurrence. The aforementioned disaster has been evaluated over its quality costs, and a predictable cost table has been presented to avoid the repetition of its consequences. As a result of the study, it was concluded that the disaster in question killed sustainability. To avoid similar cases in the future, suggestions have been made for the costs of failure.

THE IMPACT OF OWNERSHIP TYPE ON THE QUALITY OF STUDY PROGRAMS IN THE HIGHER EDUCATION SECTOR OF KOSOVO: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

2023-07-05T07:26:36+00:00

The sector of higher education in Kosovo has witnessed significant during the past two decades, with the establishment of private and public institutions leading to increased participation. However, concerns about the quality and the relevance of the study programs offered by these institutions have emerged. To address these concerns, a research study was conducted to evaluate the impact of ownership type on program quality. Based on the analysis of accreditation data, the study finds no significant differences in quality between private and public institutions. Nonetheless, further research is recommended to examine specific accreditation fields and other factors, including student quality, graduation rates, employment rates, student satisfaction, and academic staff quality, to understand the differences in program quality of private and public higher education institutions in Kosovo.

PSYCHOPATHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS IN THE MENTAL HEALTH OF PRISONERS (AZERBAIJAN CASE)

2023-05-04T05:21:27+00:00

The main object of this study is to assess the prevalence of mental illness (diagnosis) and symptoms of psychopathology, evaluate the correlation between variables. (Independent variables: age, imprisonment years, marital status. Dependent variables: psychopathological symptoms). The survey study was conducted among inmates at correctional facilities in Azerbaijan. Participants were conducted from January 2023-March 2023. A total of participants was 45 male prisoners. Prisoners reported lifetime or current diagnosis of depression, anxiety, guilt feelings, tension, mental retardation and other disorder, as well as current mental health symptoms. Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale-BPRS was used to measure the symptoms, and SPSS program for analyzing the statistics.

Of the 50 inmates invited to participate, 45 (90%) of them were consistent with research (mean [SD] age, 41,1 [5.3] years; 45 [100%] male; imprisonment years 9,51 [2.9]; 26 [57,8%] of them have previous imprisonment experience, 19 [42,2%] of them don’t have any punishment before). A statistically significant positive correlation was examined between the increasing age factor of the prisoner and the symptoms of somatic anxiety, thought disorders, tension, mannerism and posturing, slowness of movements, disruption of social cooperation, unusual content of thoughts, blunting of affect (r= 0.633* *,*p<0.05, **p<0.01); a positive significance statistical correlation was examined between the increasing sentence duration and the mental health problems (r= 0.459**,*p<0.05, **p<0.01); Mental health problems of persons who had previous prison experience were higher than persons convicted for the first time, respectively: 31.7±10.1 and 28.53±9.4 (F=2.64; p=0.111; t=-1,08; df=43); Lack of family support was followed by negative consequences in their mental health. Thus, the total index of mental disorders in unmarried persons is 25.4±9.8; 27.06±6.4 in married people; 40±5.6 was obtained in divorced and isolated individuals. Moreover, educational factor of the prisoners shows its effect in maintaining their emotional stability and knowledge about mental health problems.

BİBLİOMETRİC ANALYSİS OF ENTREPRENEURİAL PERSONALİTY WİTH SCİENCE MAPPİNG TECHNİQUE

2023-06-09T09:56:18+00:00

It is seen that the importance of entrepreneurship at regional and global levels is increasing day by day. The roles of entrepreneurs in this increase are pretty remarkable. Many studies have been conducted to understand entrepreneurs' roles better and reveal the factors that push individuals toward entrepreneurship in a better way. Some of these researches are shaped around the concept of entrepreneurial personality. It is seen that this concept, which includes both entrepreneurship and personality, is examined in a multidisciplinary manner. A bibliometric analysis was conducted to examine how studies on entrepreneurial personality have been handled from past to present and other characteristics. The Web of Science database encountered 169 studies on entrepreneurial personality between 1977 and 2023. VOSviewer program was used to visualize these studies with scientific mapping techniques. In addition, the MaxQDA program was used for additional analysis.

As a result, it is seen that studies on entrepreneurial personality are shaped around different countries and different author groups. In addition, it has been concluded that academic interest in entrepreneurial personality has increased, and this increase will continue. It is thought that studies on entrepreneurial personality are effective in explaining a structure that expands from the individual to society and economy.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RISK AND COST OF QUALITY: THE CASE OF JESSE LANGFORD

2023-06-22T18:35:12+00:00

Risk permeates every moment of life, impacting both individuals and businesses through their activities. While certain risks encountered have a minimal likelihood of materializing, others possess a considerable probability. Preventing risks in life entails averting failures. The most effective approach to preventing failures, both in business and all aspects of life, is through proactive measures that eliminate the underlying causes of failure before they occur. Engaging in prevention activities is invariably more cost-effective than dealing with the potential consequences and expenses associated with failures. In situations where the risk's realization probability is high, preventive measures can be implemented to mitigate or prevent it altogether. Consequently, by actively addressing risks, failures can be averted through risk prevention.

This study aims to conduct a comparative analysis of the concepts of risk and quality within the realm of costs while introducing the concept of risk-quality cost mapping to the existing body of literature. Within this framework, the study initially establishes a connection between the elements of the risk management process and quality costs. Subsequently, a real-life case is examined to assess its implications in terms of both risk and quality costs. As can be seen in the case of Jesse Langford, it is clear that the implementation of comprehensive prevention measures plays a crucial role in minimizing failure costs, ultimately reducing them to a negligible level during travel. As a result of preventive measures, the costs associated with failures can be avoided, the impact of risks can be reduced, and in some cases, the costs of failure can be substantially eliminated.

FACTORS AFFECTING SOCIAL COMMERCE INTENTION: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY ON SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS

2023-08-16T12:29:31+00:00

Recently, there has been a significant increase in the use of social media, especially among the new generation of users. In parallel with this increase, social media platforms have highlighted the concept of social commerce - an extension of e-commerce - and put it on the current agenda. In social commerce, social media platforms are used to share, create, and request product information, perceptions, and views, with customers also making purchases.

The social commerce intention of the new generation via social media platforms is the focus of this study. This study investigates the social commerce intention of students at a public university in Yalova, Turkey, to purchase products via Instagram and the factors that affect this intention. 296 students participated in the study. Findings suggest that the price and reputation of social commerce vendors positively affect user trust. Also, habit, perceived ease of use, and hedonic motivation also positively affect social commerce intention. Trust in the social vendor positively affects social commerce intention. Other hypotheses are rejected. This study contributes to the literature by analysing the role of different factors in social commerce intention.

CHANGING HABITS: THE EFFECT OF CULTURAL CONSUMPTION ON RESTAURANT PREFERENCES

2023-08-08T20:04:14+00:00

The purpose of this research is to examine the effect of cultural omnivorousness levels on restaurant preferences. Qualitative research approach was adopted in this study. At the same time, ethnographic interview method was used in order to examine the cultural consumption patterns of individuals in the study. As a result of the research, the findings are presented in two categories: cultural participation and the relationship between cultural participation and restaurant preferences. The result of the research shows that some people interviewed have a different and hierarchical judgment of taste in restaurant preferences. Cultural consumption, as a reflection of cultural omnivorousness, serves to make sense of people's tastes/likes. However, there has not been found such an examination of restaurant choice and its use in cultural omnivorousness studies. This article fills the identified gap, adding to the discussion about restaurant choice and cultural consumption.

IMPACT OF FLOATING EXCHANGE RATE ON THE OUTPUT, EXPORT AND EMPLOYMENT IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN BEEF INDUSTRY

2023-05-06T14:17:54+00:00

The purpose of the study is to analyse the impact of floating exchange rate through the long-run and short-run changes or dynamic relations amongst total production, Volume of exports and total employment from 1995 to 2020, using a time-series analysis. The study adopts the secondary time series data for total production, volume of exports and total employment. Descriptive statistics was adopted to describe the features of the data quantitatively and to profile the beef industry. Unit root test was performed for the integration of variables where data exabits mixture of level and first integration. Bound test shows that variables are somehow associated in the long run due to their short run cointegration. The results from the cointegration test and the ARDL-ECM estimation suggest a long-run effect among total production, volume of exports and total employment. The adjustment term or coefficient of ECT of dependent variables suggests that the past year’s errors are corrected for the current year at a convergence speed of 0.93, 1.72 and 1.06 percentage points, respectively. Furthermore, Causal relation or effect results for beef industry shows that single directional causality effect exists between, or which runs from volume of exports total production output, exchange rate to volume of exports and lastly, causal effect run from volume of exports to total employment. The overall conclusion is that floating exchange rate impact on total production, volume of exports and total employment in the beef industry of the South African red meat industry.