Author (s) Tannoury, Jessica Published 01 July 2022 DOI DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6787184   Full article AbstractThe purpose of this article is to examine the leadership...

This study was designed to evaluate the perceived effects from exposure to occupational noise pollution on hearing loss among cement factory workers in Edo State, Nigeria. A descriptive cross-sectional survey design was adopted for the study, and 183 factory workers who were mainly males working at different departments in the factory, were sampled. A well designed and structured questionnaire was used to obtain personal and scientific information from the participants. The questionnaire was sectionalized into four major aspects. Background noise levels and that of the work environment was measured using calibrated Wensen WS 1361 type 2 digital sound level meter. Student t-test was used to analyse the test of association between hours at work and hearing loss; whereas the prediction of hearing loss was determined using a multinomial logistic regression model. All statistical significances were considered at p<0.05. The results revealed that a larger proportion of the participants demonstrated a higher level of awareness on the effects of noise on health. A greater number of participants revealed a higher percentage on the general use of hearing protection device, and further revealed, was that most of the participants presented a high frequency of hearing loss. Participants from the storage and transportation (ST) department had the lowest prevalence of hearing loss at PTA512 and PTA346when compared with participants from other departments. No significant relationship was established to exist between the hours at work and hearing status for both ears at PTA512and PTA346. The multiple regression analysis revealed no significant relationship between the selected predictors and hearing loss for both ears at PTA512. However, age was revealed as a significant predictor of hearing status at PTA346for both ears because a positive relationship was established between age and hearing status.

This paper attempts to carry out an in-depth analysis of the objectification of the female body in Pablo Neruda's works of poetry Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair. The aim is to pinpoint the use of images and objects that presents his beloved as an object. The tactile imagery as well as visual imagery will be taken into consideration for the purpose. The purpose, therefore, is to scrutinize the use of such objects for the representation of women in his work. The emphasis is not just in highlighting a feminist stance but in digging deep into the concept of lovemaking, keeping in mind the works of Slavoj Zizek and Jacques Lacan. The idea of courtly lovemaking somehow justifies the notion of female objectification in his work. The psychology behind an ideal love and the fulfillment of courtly pleasures have been analyzed from a psychoanalytical lens to explore why the writer used such imagery for his writing. The writer's psychology, passion, notions are considered for the purpose. The modern version of love talks about the rationality of the situation, but Neruda's work mostly focuses on courtly ideals. The research then will be two folded i.e., on one hand, it will discover the use of objectification of the female body and, on the other, it will dissect the poetic notion of courtly love used by Neruda. Although a lot of research has been done on Neruda's poetry, this research takes a step forward as it brings in psychoanalytical analysis on the notion of courtly love used in his poetry.

The readiness of the teachers on the opening of classes and the way they address the problems they encounter are crucial especially in times of crisis like COVID-19. To dive into this issue, I conducted a study with a focus on the problems encountered by teachers in the Binulasan Integrated School in the Philippines on the opening of School Year 2020-2021. The aim of this research was also to propose an intervention scheme. I used a complete enumeration or census method in the study, employing the descriptive-quantitative method. The results revealed that the teachers possessed a positive outlook towards their profession and claimed that they are ready to perform their duties and responsibilities under the new normal engendered by the COVID-19 pandemic. This readiness was verbally expressed as “Highly Ready” and is reflected in the overall mean score of 3.46. Meanwhile, most of the problems encountered by the teachers were considered not as serious problems, which was verbally interpreted as “Problem is Slightly Serious” as reflected by the overall mean score of 1.80. A concern was, however, shown on the delayed distribution of printed modules, which they could have studied first before imparting efficiently to their pupils. Also, teachers seemed to be having a hard time budgeting their time in doing their tasks while watching webinars given by the Department of Education. Lastly, the teachers seemed unhappy with the lack of supply of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) and face masks even though they are required to conduct a house-to-house distribution of the modules to the learners. This implies that teachers may utilize the intervention program proposed in this paper, which was designed to address and overcome the problems they encountered on the opening of classes due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In this article, I examine the Zambian mining industry and development in the mining sector from the viewpoint of social sustainability. A general history of the mining industry in the Mansa district of Zambia is outlined together with a description of the socio-political conditions of the country. The social sustainability of mining is examined by dissecting local level social conflicts that industrial mining activities have on the studied mining regions. The theoretical framework for this qualitative research is drawn from theories and literature on social impact assessment (SIA) and social sustainability. In addition, to examine community-company relationships, the literature on corporate social responsibility (CSR) is discussed. The empirical data is composed of semi-structured thematic interviews conducted in the manganese belt regions with multiple stakeholders, varying from representatives of mining companies to local residents. The study finds that inadequate legislation, poor environmental monitoring, and problems with governance are inducing multiple negative social impacts. Also, the poor participatory rights allowed to local communities, as well as the unequal distribution of benefits have made contributions to the local social conflicts and economy tangential. This has left the local communities disappointed and increasingly in opposition to the mining industry.

A merger of banks is not a new phenomenon but lately, it has received significant attention in the banking sector. A successful merger of various banks in India, and elsewhere, has attracted the attention of the scholars in the field. The rationale behind such mergers has been hotly debated, and the moot point question remains whether bank merging is good for the economy as a whole. Against this backdrop, this paper attempts to analyze the 'for' & 'against' views on the issue and concludes that the mergers of banks in India positively affects the health of the banking sector & ultimately is helpful to the Indian economy. We argue that the merger of banks brought synergy in the operations of the banking sector primarily in terms of customer reach. In addition, it also provides economies of scale, even though the management change remains a challenge. Similarly, amalgamations also bring relief for the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). RBI can better concentrate its efforts on the supervision of niche banks and assist the government in greater economic and policy issues.

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), an EU–wide piece of legislation became active on 25 May 2018. The binding regulation impacts all human data objects and its implementation and effectiveness have raised many questions. The GDPR is, indeed, very serious with the compilation, usage, and preservation of personal data. This article explains, with the help of an online survey, the consumers' perception of this new regulation (i.e. GDPR) and also analyses its expected outcomes. The primary research question under investigation is the level of awareness of GDPR and how it affects the data subject's rights. The GDPR articles were themed to build a set of questionnaires. The study found that although Lebanese consumers are somehow aware of the changing rules of privacy, they have only a moderate concern over personal data and are willing to trade them for any apparent personal gain.