Journal of Contemporary Research in Social Sciences

Exploration and analysis of the future introduction of the International Baccalaureate in Taiwan

Yen, Fang Yu — Mon, 28 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This study explores the feasibility and impact of integrating the International Baccalaureate (IB) program into Taiwan’s national education system. While Taiwan’s current international education policies primarily focus on language acquisition, the IB curriculum emphasizes global awareness, cultural understanding, and critical thinking—key competencies in a globalized world. This study uses the seven dilemmas of educational reform as an analytical framework, which are: Orientation Dilemma, Paradigm Dilemma, Financial Dilemma, Resources Dilemma, and Knowledge Dilemma. The findings indicate that the integration of the IB program can balance the needs of globalization and local education, align with Taiwan’s lifelong learning policies, enhance educational equity through public school implementation, and provide students with dual diploma opportunities. With appropriate policy support and resource allocation, the IB program has the potential to strengthen Taiwan’s international competitiveness while promoting educational diversity and equity.

Socio-cultural economics and Q- methodology: A new challenging interplay between values, preferences, and behaviors

Amin Khaksar — Mon, 12 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This study highlights the transformative potential of Q methodology in socio-cultural economics, bridging subjective experiences and mathematical analysis. By integrating values, preferences, and behaviors, Q methodology offers a different approach to understanding cultural dynamics, revealing hidden dimensions of choice, motivation, and value systems. Through Q’s structured sorting and person-centered factor analysis, it captures diverse perspectives and the intensity of preferences, enabling deeper insights into cultural and economic behaviors. While its generalizability may be limited, Q’s ability to amplify marginalized voices and uncover implicit narratives makes it a valuable complement to traditional methods. Applications in preference elicitation, local economic assessments, and behavior modeling demonstrate its relevance and position Q methodology as a powerful tool for reshaping how we analyze and understand the socio-cultural dimensions of the economy.

An evaluation of performance measurement system operational management: Case study ETO manufacturing company

Nur Farahatan, Dermawan Wibisiono — Wed, 14 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This research evaluates the performance measurement system of PT. Hegarmanah (disguised), as a case study of an Engineer-to-Order (ETO) manufacturing company that supplies High Voltage Products and Services and has found inefficiencies in inventory workflows and its misaligned suppliers. Despite robust sales supported by centralized procurement’s customers, PT. Hegarmanah faced internal issues that hindered the development of new Knowledge-based Performance Measurement Systems. This study conducted semi-structured interviews with operational and senior management representatives as part of a qualitative case study approach. The Knowledge-Based Performance Management System (KBPMS) framework was implemented, with an emphasis on specific resource capabilities, internal processes, and organizational output. The results indicated inefficiencies in inventory turnover that were caused by inadequate workflow management, insufficient supplier performance monitoring, and restricted operational cooperation. The suggested KBPMS system aims to improve team performance through smart-factory capabilities and workload optimization, expedite inventory workflows through ERP integration, and strengthen supplier data accuracy. The proposed IPMS framework addresses operational inefficiencies. Thus, a tailored performance management framework for engineer-to-order manufacturers, through the online implementation of performance measures and the enhancement of accountability, may enhance operational sustainability and align inventory practices with corporate objectives.

From Neo-Tokyo to new path: Postmodern cyberpunk, surveillance, and the fragmented subject in Akira and a scanner darkly

Nathan M. Moore — Thu, 05 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This paper explores the cyberpunk movie texts Akira (Otomo, 1988) and A Scanner Darkly (Linklater (2006); based on Dick (1991) novel) as cultural critiques that use postmodern aesthetics to examine identity disintegration under the weight of surveillance, technology, and political control. Drawing on scholarly sources—and to inversely examine their social capital—this paper analyzes the films’ formal techniques, cultural contexts, and narrative structures mirroring each other, and arriving in 20-year increments. To argue that both works contribute to a new transnational discourse in fragmentation, subjectivity, and the dissolution of human agency in the face of a chronologically bound state and technological power apparatus would only be an understatement. As such, we must illicit contemporary cloud-based identity fragmentation, consciousness, and virtualized governance trends in 2025 as a means of producing, such as these films have done in their abbreviated 20-year gap, not just narratives of control, but new aesthetic interfaces of political critique. Notably, Ne Zha 2, a Chinese animated film released in 2025, has become the highest-grossing animated film of all time, surpassing Inside Out 2.

The impact of monetary policy rate on the interbank market rate in Ghana

Ebenezer Okyere, Alice Constance Mensah, George G.M.B. Anyigba — Wed, 11 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This study examines the impact of the monetary policy rate (MPR) on the interbank market rate (INTB) in Ghana using monthly data from January 2000 to December 2024. Employing the Johansen cointegration test and Vector Error Correction Model (VECM), the study finds a stable long-run relationship between MPR and INTB, with the interbank rate adjusting to policy changes over time. However, short-run adjustments are sluggish, indicating inefficiencies in the transmission process. Market liquidity constraints, asymmetric information, and structural rigidities contribute to these delays. The findings suggest that while monetary policy remains an effective tool for influencing short-term market rates, enhancing interbank market efficiency is crucial for improving policy transmission. Policy recommendations include strengthening liquidity management, reducing market segmentation, improving policy signaling, and leveraging financial technology to enhance interbank rate responsiveness. These measures can improve the effectiveness of monetary policy in Ghana, ensuring better financial stability and economic growth.

An analysis of vaccinated populations: Mortality rates and adverse event episodes

Mark Gius, Hillary Holiday — Mon, 30 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The purpose of the present study is to determine the mortality rate for COVID-19 vaccines in the United States, using the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) as the primary data source. In addition, regression analysis was used to estimate the factors that may affect the reported number of days from vaccination to onset of symptoms due to vaccine complications and the reported number of days from vaccination until death. It was estimated that the crude mortality rate for all COVID-19 vaccines was 6.3 deaths per 100,000 vaccinated persons for the period December 14, 2020 to December 31, 2023. If one examines only those deaths that occurred with 60 days of vaccination, the crude mortality rate was 3.24 deaths per 100,000 persons for the period in question. This mortality rate is substantially lower than the crude mortality rate for non-COVID-19 vaccines estimated in McCarthy et al. (2013) which was 608 deaths per 100,000 persons. In addition, the mean number of days from vaccination to onset of symptoms and from vaccination to death increased dramatically once the COVID-19 vaccines became available. This includes the means for non-COVID vaccines as well.

Driving student retention in digital learning: The mediation pathways of motivation, engagement, and satisfaction

Meirani Harsasi, Moh. Muzammil, Faridah Iriani — Tue, 01 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Student retention becomes a problem in many distance education practices around the world since the dropout rate in online learning is higher compared to face-to-face learning. A high dropout rate is often associated with a low quality of learning and will affect the reputation of the institution. Various factors have been associated as the drivers of student retention, including student satisfaction, motivation, and engagement in online learning. Universitas Terbuka (UT) provides distance education that also needs to evaluate the implementation of online learning to maintain its student persistence. To obtain a better understanding of student retention associated with student motivation, engagement, and satisfaction, this research was developed by combining quantitative and qualitative approaches. The first stage was to conduct quantitative research by developing a research model considering previous studies and using four variables: motivation, engagement, satisfaction, and student retention. Data collection was carried out using a questionnaire to assess student perceptions of those variables. The questionnaire was developed based on the four variables in the model utilizing a 5-point Likert scale. Three hypotheses were proposed based on research models and tested using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The data collection process managed to collect 616 valid data points using a purposive sampling method. The results verified that all hypotheses were supported except the effect of satisfaction on retention. Given this result, it is crucial to explore further because it was found that satisfaction has no effect on retention, which is contrary to previous research. Therefore, qualitative research was carried out using Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) to explore this phenomenon in depth. The ISM results show that time management to study is the biggest obstacle for students to register for the next semester, followed by other obstacles. In the discussion section, managerial implications will be proposed to make a positive contribution to open and distance learning practice.