Caring for Nature, Caring for Faith: Islamic Ecotheology in the Practice of Green Da’wa in Pesantren in Indonesia

This article discusses Islamic eco-theological values implemented in the form of green da’wa in Pesantren (Islamic boarding schools) in Indonesia. Using a case study approach at Pesantren Al Ittifaq in Bandung, West Java, and Pesantren Assalaam in Manado, North Sulawesi, this article observes how Islamic eco- theological principles are implemented in Islamic preaching practices in Pesantren. Data was obtained through interviews, observations, documentation studies and focused discussions. The results of the study show that both Pesantren, Al Ittifaq and Assalaam, integrate ecotheological principles into various da’wa and educational programmes, such as sustainable agriculture and the provision of ecological understanding and awareness based on the Qur’an and Hadith. Specifically, Pesantren Al Ittifaq stands out with its agribusiness innovation in the form of sustainable agriculture as a form of environmental da’wa, while Pesantren Assalaam places more emphasis on strengthening awareness of the importance of environmentally friendly da’wa and building ecological awareness within the Pesantren and the surrounding community. These findings prove that Pesantrens have an important and strategic role as educational institutions that implement the principles of Islamic ecotheology in the practice of green da’wa.

The Role of Local Educational Management in Vietnam

This study examines the critical role of local educational management in Vietnam, with a particular focus on how provincial-level authorities implement national education policies in practice through school network planning, resource allocation, and teacher deployment. The study adopts a mixed-methods approach, combining qualitative document analysis with descriptive analysis of official statistics published by the Ministry of Education and Training and the Ministry of Finance. To capture regional variation in governance capacity and educational demand, the study contrasts two major metropolitan centers, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, with two large North Central provinces, Thanh Hoa and Nghe An, where broader rural and mountainous contexts create distinct challenges in access and resource distribution. The findings reveal a clear divide between large metropolitan centers and territorially extensive provinces. Major cities face rapid enrollment growth, higher staffing pressures, and intensified demand for educational services, while large provinces confront persistent infrastructure gaps, dispersed settlement patterns, and access inequalities, particularly in rural and mountainous areas. Fiscal analysis further indicates uneven local spending capacity across regions, alongside persistent limitations in data integration and reporting consistency within subnational education administration.

Social Media Impact on Students’ Academic Development. A Study of Unizik Students

This study investigates the impact of social media on the academic development of undergraduate students at Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka. The primary objective is to assess how students utilize social media for academic purposes, identify the most commonly used platforms, examine its effects on academic performance, and determine the factors that hinder effective academic use of social media. Grounded in Social Learning Theory, which emphasizes learning through observation and interaction, the research aims to explore how social media can be harnessed as a tool for academic support and growth. A quantitative research approach was employed, utilizing a survey method to collect data from 300 undergraduate students. This sample size was determined using the Comrey and Lee (1992) method. The survey focused on students’ social media usage patterns and their perceived impact on academic performance. The findings revealed that all respondents actively engage with social media, with WhatsApp and Facebook emerging as the most preferred platforms for academic activities. Contrary to many prior studies that suggested a negative impact, 5% of students in this study reported a positive influence of social media on their academic performance. Many students use social media to access supplementary academic resources, complementing their classroom learning. However, challenges such as poor internet connectivity, distractions, and difficulty in locating relevant academic content were identified as barriers to effective use. Despite these challenges, students generally view social media as a valuable academic tool. The study recommends that students focus on academic content while using social media, limit time spent on non-educational activities, and that educators increase the availability of academic resources on these platforms. These strategies aim to balance the academic benefits of social media with its potential distractions, maximizing its positive impact. The study underscores the dual nature of social media, calling for a balanced and focused approach by both students and educators to enhance its academic value.

Digital Transformation and Performance in Publishing SMEs: The Influence of Online Purchasing Behaviour and CRM

The rapid growth of digital consumption has transformed how readers purchase and engage with publishing content in China. Traditional publishing small and medium enterprises in Shanghai face increasing pressure to digitalise their business models while maintaining competitiveness in the evolving digital economy. This study investigates how online purchasing behaviour and Customer Relationship Management influence firm performance through digital transformation. A quantitative research design was adopted, and data were collected from 113 managers working in private publishing small and medium enterprises in Shanghai. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling was used to examine both the direct and mediating relationships among the studied variables. The results show that online purchasing behaviour is the most influential driver of firm performance, followed by Customer Relationship Management. Digital transformation significantly enhances firm performance and partially mediates the effects of both online purchasing behaviour and Customer Relationship Management. These findings highlight the interconnected roles of market driven consumer behaviour and internal relational capabilities in shaping digital development and performance outcomes. The study contributes to theoretical understanding of digital transformation in legacy cultural industries and offers practical insights for publishing managers to strengthen customer centric strategies and implement systematic digitalisation initiatives. Overall, success in the digital publishing environment requires a combined effort to respond to online demand patterns, enhance customer relationship capability, and build digital operational readiness.

Customer Service, Customer’s Satisfaction and Customer’s Loyalty of Selected Casual Dining Restaurants in Santa Rosa Laguna

This study examined the relationship among customer service, customer satisfaction, and customer loyalty in selected casual dining restaurants in Santa Rosa, Laguna. Using a descriptive- correlational design, data were collected from 340 customers selected through simple random sampling across five restaurants. A validated, researcher-made questionnaire measured five dimensions of customer service reliability, responsiveness, assurance, tangibles, and empathy alongside levels of satisfaction and loyalty. Results showed that overall customer service was rated “Strongly Agree” (M = 3.25), with tangibles ranking highest (M = 3.30), followed by responsiveness (M = 3.28), assurance (M = 3.26), empathy (M = 3.25), and reliability (M = 3.18). Customer satisfaction and loyalty were both rated “Very High” (M = 3.28 and M = 3.27, respectively). Pearson r correlation analysis indicated significant relationships: service dimensions correlated moderately with satisfaction (r = .416 to .584, p < .01) and loyalty (r = .258 to .415, p <.01), while satisfaction and loyalty also showed a moderate positive correlation (r = .486, p < .01). Findings confirm that improved customer service enhances satisfaction, which in turn strengthens loyalty. The study recommends action plans focused on staff training, loyalty programs, and customer engagement to sustain service quality and promote long-term business growth.

Cognitive Engagement and Problem-Solving Competence among Public Secondary Students in Southwestern, Nigeria

The study investigated the level of cognitive engagement among secondary school students in Southwestern Nigeria. In addition it examined the relative contribution of cognitive engagement sub-construct of deep cognitive and shallow engagement, cognitive strategy and persistence on prediction of problems-solving competence among secondary school students in the study zone.  The study investigated the predictive ability of cognitive engagement on problem-solving competence among the students in the study area. These were with a view to providing empirical information on the factors that could enhance problem-solving competence among the students. The study adopted the descriptive survey research design. The population of the study comprised 2,403,822 public secondary school students in Southwestern, Nigeria. A sample size of 2,160 students was selected from the study zone using multistage sampling procedure. Three States were selected from Southwestern Nigeria, likewise from each State, two senatorial districts were selected using simple random sampling technique. Furthermore, 18 LGAs and 54 public secondary schools were selected for the study. Lastly, systematic sampling technique was used to select 40 students (SSS II) from each school. Two adapted instruments were used to elicit information from the respondents. They were Questionnaire on Problem-Solving Competence (QPSC) and Cognitive Engagement (QCE). Data collected were analyzed using weighted mean and multiple regression analysis. The result showed that the level of cognitive engagement among secondary school students is low. The results showed that cognitive engagement (t=14.046, β =.383) had better contribution in the prediction of problem-solving competence among the students. The study concluded that cognitive engagement contributed in the prediction of problem-solving competence among the secondary school students.

Building the Church of Christ: Challenges for Leaders: Pavillion City Chapel International -Amasaman, Accra- Ghana

When Jesus Christ came into this world, He built His Church. This Body of Christ, the church, was meant to be composed of all born-again people from any race or tribe. It is also represented in localities by the local church of Jesus Christ. The church was to have an upward purpose of worshipping and glorifying God, an inward purpose of teaching, discipline, and ensuring the unity of the body’s members, and an outward purpose of reaching the unsaved world for Jesus Christ. To achieve this three-fold purpose of the church, Jesus Christ ordained leaders for His church. These included apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers for the universal church, and pastors, deacons, and deaconesses for the local churches. In addition, He gave many other gifts of the spirit to various members of the church. The purpose of these gifts was that the body of Christ would be equipped and united for the purpose for which it was established. These leaders, however, face daunting challenges in their role of equipping the saints of Jesus. The world, economic pressures, and pressure from cults and non-Christian religions and some of the forces that the church leader has to reckon with in this modern time. By relying on the word of God and the spirit of God, however, the church leader should be able to overcome the challenges confronting his or her ministry.

AI and Organizational Readiness as Catalysts for Digital Transformation in Firm Performance of Shanghai’s Publishing Industry

In the digital era, traditional publishing enterprises in Shanghai face unprecedented challenges and opportunities driven by technological advancements. This study explores how Artificial Intelligence (AI) adoption and Organizational Readiness (OR) influence Firm Performance (FP), with Digital Transformation (DT) serving as a mediating variable. Drawing on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), a quantitative survey of 260 managers was conducted, and data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The findings reveal that AI positively impacts digital transformation but does not directly enhance firm performance without strategic integration. Organizational readiness, surprisingly, exhibited a negative effect on digital transformation, indicating potential cultural or strategic barriers. Digital transformation positively influenced firm performance and significantly mediated the relationships between both AI and FP, and OR and FP. The results underscore that effective digital transformation is essential to translate technological and organizational initiatives into performance gains. This study provides theoretical insights into technology adoption in traditional sectors and offers practical strategies for fostering successful digital transformation initiatives in legacy industries.

The Position of Maternity Rights for Female Workers in Law Number 13 of 2003 Concerning Labour in the City of Ternate

This study examines the position of women’s maternity rights in Law No. 13 of 2003 concerning Manpower (Case Study of the Ternate City Manpower Office). Maternity rights are human rights specifically possessed by women due to their reproductive abilities, such as menstruation, pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding. Therefore, the responsibility to fulfil and protect maternity rights is the duty of all parties, especially the government.

This study uses empirical research methods with a descriptive approach. Primary data was obtained directly from the Ternate City Manpower Office, as well as secondary data which included interviews with relevant parties and document studies such as Law No. 13 of 2003. Data collection techniques included in-depth interviews and participatory observation. The collected data was then analysed descriptively to describe the position of female workers’ maternity rights and identify existing obstacles.

The results of this study are expected to provide a better understanding of the position of maternity rights and provide input for the Ternate City Manpower Office and related parties to improve professionalism in the workplace for female workers.

The Influence of Stakeholder Pressure on the Extent of Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure and Its Impact on Firm Performance (An Empirical Study on State-Owned Enterprises Listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange for the Period 2020–2023)

This study examines the influence of stakeholder pressure on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) disclosure and its impact on firm performance among Indonesian State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange from 2020-2023. Using a quantitative approach with Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), data were collected from 31 SOEs over four years (n=124 observations). The research measures stakeholder pressure through six dimensions: shareholder, employee, consumer, environmental, creditor, and media pressures. CSR disclosure is measured using POJK 51/POJK.03/2017 framework, while firm performance is assessed through Tobin’s Q ratio. Findings reveal that only environmental pressure (β=0.246, p=0.005) and media pressure (β=0.285, p=0.003) significantly influence CSR disclosure. Shareholder pressure (β=0.329, p<0.001) and creditor pressure (β=0.288, p=0.008) positively affect firm performance, while environmental pressure (β=-0.069, p=0.033) and media pressure (β=-0.080, p=0.026) negatively impact performance. CSR disclosure negatively affects firm performance (β=-0.280, p=0.001) and mediates the relationship between environmental/media pressures and performance. The study enriches legitimacy and stakeholder theory by highlighting trade-offs between social transparency and short-term market valuation in emerging markets.