JOURNAL OF BUSINESS AND PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

Abstract:
Inclusive education in early childhood aims to provide equitable learning opportunities for all children, including those with diverse abilities and backgrounds, within the same educational settings. This approach fosters social integration, respects individual differences, and promotes a culture of acceptance from an early age. Many early childhood education settings face shortages of materials and facilities necessary to support inclusive practices. Large class sizes further exacerbate the difficulty in addressing individual needs effectively. Educators often report a lack of specialized training and professional development in inclusive education strategies. This insufficiency can hinder their ability to implement effective inclusive practices and accommodate the diverse needs of all students. Limited awareness and support from parents regarding inclusive education can pose challenges. Engaging families and fostering a collaborative approach is essential for the success of inclusion initiatives. Inconsistencies in educational policies and a lack of clear guidelines for implementing inclusion can lead to varied practices and hinder the establishment of standardized inclusive environments. Investing in comprehensive training programs enhances teachers' competencies in inclusive education, equipping them with the skills to address diverse learning needs effectively. Building strong relationships among educators, parents, specialists, and the community fosters a supportive network that can address challenges and share resources, promoting a unified approach to inclusion. Establishing clear, consistent policies and frameworks at national and institutional levels provides a structured approach to implementing inclusive education, ensuring accountability and uniformity in practices. Implementing inclusive practices during early childhood can lead to better developmental outcomes, as early intervention has been shown to positively impact cognitive and social development, setting a strong foundation for lifelong learning. Addressing these challenges and leveraging the opportunities requires a concerted effort from policymakers, educators, parents, and the community to create an inclusive, supportive, and resource-rich early childhood education environment.

Keywords:

Challenges; Early Childhood; Inclusive Education; Opportunities

Abstract:
This study examines Cybersecurity tools for monitoring, the relationship between perceived workplace managerial surveillance and employee psychological well-being. Guided by the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model, this study used a mixed-methods design. Data was collected through an online survey from 475 professionals across the United States with at least a bachelor's degree, yielding a response rate of 42%. Measures included perception of surveillance, psychological distress, and privacy perception, assessed using validated scales on a 7-point Likert scale. Data was analyzed using SPSS 28 descriptive statistics, regression, and mediation to test the hypothesized model. Results demonstrate a strong, statistically significant positive relationship between Cybersecurity surveillance tools and both perceived privacy violations and psychological distress. Importantly, privacy violations partially mediate the relationship between surveillance and well-being, suggesting that perceived intrusiveness intensifies psychological strain. First, the findings underscore the importance of adopting Cybersecurity tools for their intended purpose and establish monitoring that balances operational needs with employee privacy and mental health. Second, study affirms that workplace surveillance contributes to psychological distress, both directly and through reduced privacy perception. These insights offer practical guidance for human resource professionals, policymakers, and technology designers aiming to protect employee well-being and foster healthier, more trust-based work environments. This study makes a significant theoretical contribution to literature, as this is one of the first studies of its kind to demonstrate that privacy violation only partially mediates the relationship between perceived Cybersecurity tools used for surveillance and psychological well-being.

Keywords:

Cybersecurity, Tools, Surveillance, Privacy, Job Demands-Resources

Abstract:
April 30, 2024, marked fifty years since the end of the Nixon Administration’s Economic Stabilization Program (1971–74), the last full U.S. wage-price control regime. George Shultz helped launch, manage, and end the program, highlighting its life cycle: initial dependence on government agencies, later reliance on private-sector information, and eventual political pressure for removal. Cooperation collapsed as mandates conflicted, triggering institutional “creative destruction.” As an executive entrepreneur, Shultz and the Cost-of-Living Council advanced supply-side policies that challenged agencies, exposed inflationary practices, and enabled the ESP’s termination—offering a key case for Public Choice and agency-life-cycle theories.

Keywords:

Incomes Policy, Wage-Price Controls, Regulatory Agencies, Public Entrepreneurs

Abstract:
As a result of the pandemic that humanity has gone through, a concept seems to be gaining increased popularity, namely resilience. Resilience refers to the ability of a system to return to its original form when subjected to a shock. In the case of the COVID-19 pandemic, resilience refers to the capacity of national economies to adapt, to find strategies through which to recover. The current paper studies resilience and regional economic recovery through indices that use employment as parameter at regional and national levels. As the title of this paper specifies, the research begins by presenting the performances of NUTS2 regions, subsequently analyzing the results obtained at the county level. In order to determine individual regional resilience abilities, 2020 was taken into account as the initial period and 2023 as the final period, marking a first moment in which the national economy can be considered to have recovered. Among the results obtained, the performances of the Bucharest-Ilfov and Centru regions were highlighted, as well as the much lower values of two of the southern regions.

Keywords:

resilience; recovery; employment; regional analysis

Abstract:
This research study investigates how leaders at Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA), a state-owned enterprise in South Africa, apply complexity leadership theory to adapt, innovate, and sustain performance amid the volatility of global trade, economic shifts, and organizational change. By using semi-structured interviews and conducting focus groups, context-specific insights were gathered and analysed using thematic analysis. The findings provide empirical evidence-driven practical recommendations to strengthen leadership capacity to navigate uncertainty and complexity. It also advances academic understanding of complexity leadership within state-owned enterprises in developing countries.

Keywords:

leadership; organizational complexity; organisational turbulence; leadership challenges

Abstract:
Shreveport, Louisiana, once a vibrant industrial and cultural centre in the Ark-La-Tex region, has experienced decades of population decline, economic stagnation, and fiscal strain. This study explores how the city’s unusually high concentration of nonprofit and religious organizations has shaped its civic and economic trajectory. Drawing on archival records from Louisiana State University Shreveport (LSUS), U.S. Census Bureau data, local press archives, and nonprofit sector materials, the paper introduces the concept of the as-is economy, a system of civic and institutional dependency that perpetuates economic inertia. The analysis traces the city’s post-industrial transition, from the decline of oil and manufacturing to the expansion of tax-exempt institutions, and situates Shreveport within broader Southern patterns of religious, philanthropic, and service-sector dominance. By connecting nonprofit saturation to diminished fiscal capacity, stalled diversification, “brain drain,” and demographic contraction, this study argues that Shreveport exemplifies a broader paradox of the Southern urban economy: a city rich in moral capital and institutional care yet constrained in its capacity for structural renewal. The case of Shreveport suggests that nonprofit expansion, while socially stabilizing, may also reinforce long-term economic dependency when not paired with entrepreneurial growth, public investment, and civic modernization.

Keywords:

Nonprofit saturation; Southern cities; urban development; tax-exempt property; as-is economy

Abstract:
Digital readiness plays a crucial role in enhancing the productivity and competitiveness of farmers, which on a wider scale can propel community development (CD). The study determined the relationship between digital readiness and the economic, social, and cultural dimensions of CD through an interview of 102 farmers in the vegetable farming communities in selected barangays in Calamba City, Laguna, Philippines. The methodologies used by Horrigan (2016) and Roberts and Hernandez (2019) were adapted to determine the level of digital readiness of the farmer-respondents, and classified them to: Unprepared, Traditional, Reluctant, Cautious Clicker, and Digitally Ready. Descriptive analysis was performed along with Pearson’s product moment correlation analysis to evaluate the existence of relationship between digital readiness and the dimensions of CD. Fisher’s Exact Probability test was done to determine the relationship between digital readiness and CD. Results revealed that the farmer-respondents are on the average 58 years old, dominated by women (58%), had average household size of 5, and average area cultivated of less than a hectare. Cautious Clickers accounted for 73.53% while those Digitally Ready were 10.78%, and none were Unprepared. Among the six elements of digital readiness, own ability was rated the lowest by the farmer-respondents. The self-rating on CD revealed an average of 3.77 (out of 5.0) with “crisis response” (3.94) as highest and “voicing own opinion” (__) as lowest. Low correlation was noted between digital readiness and the dimensions of CD but Fisher’s Exact probability proved the highly significant relationship between digital readiness and CD.

Keywords:

digital readiness, community development, nudging, sustainable development

Abstract:
Employee performance has become a critical issue due to rising competition, changes in digital banking, and evolving customer requirements in the financial industry. Understanding the perceived determinants has become crucial for improving employee productivity while maintaining institutional performance. This study set out to investigate the factors that commercial banks (CBs) believe influence employee performance. A structured, self-administered questionnaire was administered to 267 bank employees from Nepalese commercial banks based on a convenience sampling technique. Explanatory and descriptive research designs were adopted to measure the perceived determinants of employee performance in the banking industry. Job security, physical working environment, and supervisor support positively impact employee performance. The working environment and supervisor support had the most effect on employee performance. The empirical research provides insights into bank management and policymakers on which two elements, supervisor support and working environment, should be considered when developing strategies that aim to boost workforce productivity and institutional performance in the financial sector.

Keywords:

bank management, employee performance, financial industry, workforce management, working environment