M. Rashid

Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) systems increasingly operate not only as tools for retrieving and synthesizing information, but also as agents that can invoke external functions, modify digital environments, and execute tasks across software systems. This development raises a specific normative problem: the point at which a model’s output ceases to be merely informational and becomes an executable intervention in the world. Building on existing work in Responsible AI, accountability, and human oversight, this paper argues that tool-calling architectures place particular pressure on these frameworks because they can fuse retrieval, reasoning, and action within a single operational pipeline. To clarify this transition, the paper develops a threshold account of performative action based on four criteria: causal efficacy, autonomy, irreversibility, and moral salience. It then examines the normative consequences of crossing this boundary, showing how executable outputs can fragment responsibility, weaken effective oversight, and produce miscalibrated trust in hybrid human-AI systems. In response, the paper proposes three governance-by-design heuristics for tool-calling environments: epistemic traceability, operational reversibility, and normative containment. Together, these mechanisms aim to make actionable systems more answerable by preserving visibility into how actions arise, by creating limited opportunities for interruption or correction, and by bounding the scope of permissible delegation. The paper concludes that reclaiming the boundary between knowing and doing is essential not to restrict intelligence, but to preserve the conditions under which increasingly capable AI systems remain governable within human practices of authorization, accountability, and repair.

This study aims to examine the effects of governance quality on stock returns using the context of an emerging and developing economy-Bangladesh. To this end, this study collected data from 118 non-financial companies listed on the Dhaka Stock Exchange over ten years (2010 to 2019). This study applied the traditional (fixed effects and random effects) and dynamic panel models, including the system generalised method of moments (GMMs), to test the hypothesised relationship. The panel models found that governance quality has a significant and positive impact on stock returns. The quantile regression results also found that good governance plays a significant positive role in all companies irrespective of their financial performance. However, the impact of macroeconomic and corporate variables was found heterogeneous based on the firm's profitability, as indicated by quantile regression. The study's findings have important policy implications, specifically in developing a sound capital market by enhancing country-level governance quality.

Existing literature indicates that abusive supervision yields adverse effects for both individuals and organizations. Nevertheless, empirical evidence suggests that people react differently to abusive supervision. In particular, there is insufficient knowledge regarding constructive responses to abusive supervision. Drawing from attribution and cognitive appraisal theories, the current study examines how individuals may behave both constructively and destructively under abusive supervision. Employing two multi-wave, multi-source studies, the current study findings highlight that guilt acts as a mediator between abusive supervision and supervisor-directed constructive deviance, while shame serves as a mediator between abusive supervision and supervisor-directed destructive deviance. Furthermore, the degree of conscientiousness exhibited by subordinates under abusive supervision influences their emotional reactions. This study elucidates the complex psychological mechanisms through which abusive supervision can stimulate both constructive and destructive behaviors toward the supervisor at the same time. Hence, it underpins the impact of abusive supervision on the outcomes of individual subordinates.

This study examines how values and communication in the workplace differ across different generations, with data analyzed from 223 participants using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The research reveals notable differences in individual and organizational values between different generations and evaluates how effectively values are communicated and aligned across various age groups. Some key discoveries include variations in how different age groups view the level of respect towards personal values within an organization (H5, f = 3.632, p = 0.015) and the recognition of individual values (H8, f = 2.912, p = 0.038). However, the theories regarding the importance of organizational values (H1), smooth intergenerational communication (H3), and the influence of aligning values on job satisfaction (H10) were not supported. The research highlights the significance of recognizing and dealing with differences in values among different generations in order to improve communication and unity within organizations.

We provide evidence of the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and corporate financial performance (CFP) in Palestine, a highly unstable political context. Annual reports of all firms listed on the Palestine Exchange (PEX) for the period 2016-2019 were manually content analysed. A checklist of reported CSR items is summarised into four areas: environmental information, human resources, community involvement, and product and customer service quality. Results indicate a robust positive connection between each of the four dimensions and the composite CSR index with three performance indicators: ROA, ROE, and Tobin's Q. Results also find better performing companies with a higher degree of community involvement being greatly appealing, while the environmental dimension was the least resilient. We discuss the significance of community engagement for an unstable context like Palestine from a 'community cohesion' standpoint.

The research seeks to ascertain the influence of the Needham and Cosgrove-Osborne models on the comprehension of educational foundations among students at the Faculty of Education. Employing a partially controlled experimental design, the researcher randomly selected a control group from Division C, with Division A representing the first experimental group and Division B the second. The study involved 92 participants, with 30 students in each experimental group and 32 in the control group. To ensure statistical equivalence among the three groups, the researcher utilized one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) to assess variables such as chronological age (in months), intelligence test results, and the previous year's Grade Point Average (GPA). A test was crafted to evaluate concept acquisition, with its validity and reliability duly established. Upon statistical analysis of the students' responses using ANOVA and the Scheffe test to pinpoint differences in means, the findings revealed significant disparities between the average scores of students in the first and second experimental groups, who studied the subject matter using the Needham, Cosgrove, or Osborne models. The researcher posits that the Needham and Cosgrove-Osborne models should be integrated into teaching practices, given their demonstrated effectiveness as instructional paradigms.

The Muslim world is characterized, in part, by the persistent neglect of research and training in basic as well as applied sciences. There is neither appreciation nor the felt need for indigenous science and technology. This state of affairs is largely due to the nature of weak state formation, perceived elite illegitimacy and consequent militarization of the state. Militarization has deprived the Muslim world of its resources which could have been deployed in more productive services. As such, there is a marked increase in the signs of decay in the Muslim world exemplified by crumbling infrastructures, broken down communications, abandoned projects, and consequent increasing perception of the illegitimacy of those in power. Until the Muslim world succeeds in breaking the vicious cycle of illegitimacy leading to militarization, bringing about further illegitimacy, science and technology cannot prosper.

Muslim societies in all of their social and cultural variety are, as Donald E. Smith points out, ‘organic’ societies characterized by organic religious systems. In these societies, religion tends to permeate all institutions rather than to be differentiated and/or autonomous. The vast body of literature produced since the departure of the colonialists from the Muslim lands suggests, however, either the implicit existence of the dichotomy or at least the feasibility and advisability of radical separation between the spiritual and temporal realms. The seriousness of the issue, evidenced by an outpouring of studies, calls for an examination of the linkage between the two realms through textual, intellectual and historical evidence. Only in such a manner can the dynamics of the relationship between Islam and politics be understood and a determination made of what has changed and what has remained unchanged. This entails, first, an understanding of the meaning and nature of politics from the Western perspective to facilitate a comparison...

Muslim societies in all of their social and cultural variety are, as Donald E. Smith points out, ‘organic’ societies characterized by organic religious systems. In these societies, religion tends to permeate all institutions rather than to be differentiated and/or autonomous. The vast body of literature produced since the departure of the colonialists from the Muslim lands suggests, however, either the implicit existence of the dichotomy or at least the feasibility and advisability of radical separation between the spiritual and temporal realms. The seriousness of the issue, evidenced by an outpouring of studies, calls for an examination of the linkage between the two realms through textual, intellectual and historical evidence. Only in such a manner can the dynamics of the relationship between Islam and politics be understood and a determination made of what has changed and what has remained unchanged. This entails, first, an understanding of the meaning and nature of politics from the Western perspective to facilitate a comparison...

One would tend to think that an international banking group that has had years of previous experience in carrying out flexible working arrangements in its 1,200+ branches worldwide would have it easy in implementing what seems like a tried-and-true system in its wholly-owned subsidiary in Malaysia. The answer might surprise you: apparently, FWA does not go by the one-size-fits-all model. EastAsia Bank*, is a wholly owned subsidiary of an international bank that has a presence in more than 70 countries. True to its claim of upholding diversity and inclusion and promoting practices that improve work-life balance, EastAsia Bank been implementing two forms of FWA since 2011 and 2012, respectively, with the first form being flexible hours – an arrangement where employees have flexible starting and ending times at work – and the second form being a “Work From Home” programme that allows its employees, as a standard, to work from home at least one day each week. EastAsia Bank’s parent company has been successfully implementing these two forms of FWA – with the addition of part-time work – in its other offices in various parts of the world since 2007. It has developed, invested in, and refined, over the years, a solid system and infrastructure for its FWA programmes, which includes the appropriate hardware and software that allows its employees to work from home within the security of the company’s virtual private network. A case study method has been conducted to examine how EastAsia Bank could successfully implement in Malaysia the exact same model that has previously met success in its other offices around the world. Surprisingly, such is not the case.

The parliamentary elections in Malaysia have brought about a significant change in the distribution of partisanship in the electorate. It redefined the relationships between social groups and party support and have enhanced the political stability of the country. The Barisan Nasional's victory, attributable to a booming economy, full employment, and superior organization and finance, signalled a vote of confidence in the politics of accommodation characterised by tolerance, mutual cooperation, and compromise.

This article examined the effect of culture and religiosity on perceptions of business ethics among students in a tertiary institution in Malaysia. A structured questionnaire was developed with scenarios on various aspects of business ethics, and self-administered to the students in the business studies program. The results from 767 respondents showed that there were significant differences among the Malays, Chinese, and Indian students on seven scenarios namely selling hazardous products, misleading instructions, selling defective products, padding expense account, taking sick to take a day off, keeping quiet on defective products, and respond to supplier's take good care of clients attitude. There was also an association between culture and religiosity. The MANOVA results also showed that culture and religiosity have an effect on perceptions of business ethics.

Leaders and managers of today''s multinational corporations face a plethora of problems and issues directly attributable to the fact that they are operating in an international context. With work-sites, plants and/or customers based in another country, or even several countries, representing a vast spectrum of cultural differences, international trade and offshore operations, coupled with increased globalisation in respect to political, social and economic realities, contribute to new dilemmas that these leaders must deal with. Not the least of these being a Code of Ethics and ethical decision making.This paper examines the differences in culture between a group of managers from the United States and similar group from Croatia using Hofstede''s theory of International Cultures. The study explores how these cultural dimensions may help in our understanding of the differences in reported whistleblowing. The authors then postulate four hypotheses regarding various aspects of whistleblowing. These Hypotheses were than tested using a survey administered to a sample of U.S.A. and Croatian managers. Finally, the paper discusses the findings and practical implications for contemporary managers in the international arena.

We provide evidence of the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and corporate financial performance (CFP) in Palestine, a highly unstable political context. Annual reports of all firms listed on the Palestine Exchange (PEX) for the period 2016-2019 were manually content analysed. A checklist of reported CSR items is summarised into four areas: environmental information, human resources, community involvement, and product and customer service quality. Results indicate a robust positive connection between each of the four dimensions and the composite CSR index with three performance indicators: ROA, ROE, and Tobins Q. Results also find better performing companies with a higher degree of community involvement being greatly appealing, while the environmental dimension was the least resilient. We discuss the significance of community engagement for an unstable context like Palestine from a community cohesion standpoint.

The goal of this paper is to investigate the performance of an active suspension system via linear quadratic regulator control and proportional–derivative–integral control. This project presents the mathematical models of the two degrees of freedom of a quarter-car active suspension system. This project introduces the design of a controller performance used for an active suspension system. The equations of motion of the quarter-car active suspension system model are developed. In the passive suspension system, there are huge oscillations or vibrations that occur in the suspension system. This phenomenon will lead to uncomfortable ride among the passengers or the driver. Besides, it takes longer time to reduce the vibration. Therefore, a good controller design must be able to reduce the vibration and produce a fast settling time. This project is focused on designing a controller for active suspension system by using MATLAB and Simulink software for both PID and LQR controllers to enhance the performance of ride comfort. This research also aims to study the effect of disturbances such as road bump and holes to the response time of the vibration of the vehicle. The result shows that the response of LQR control gives the best output performances in minimizing the vibration and gives faster settling time than that of the PID control.

Information of high evidentiary quality plays a crucial role in forensic investigations. Research shows that information provided by witnesses and victims often provide major leads to an inquiry. As such, statements should be obtained in the shortest possible time following an incident. However, this is not achieved in many incidents due to demands on resources. This intersectional study examined the effectiveness of a chatbot (the AICI), that uses artificial intelligence (AI) and a cognitive interview (CI) to help record statements following an incident. After viewing a sexual harassment video, the present study tested recall accuracy in participants using AICI compared to other tools (i.e., Free Recall, CI Questionnaire, and CI Basic Chatbot). Measuring correct items (including descriptive items) and incorrect items (errors and confabulations), it was found that the AI CI elicited more accurate information than the other tools. The implications on society include AI CI provides an alternative means of effectively and efficiently recording high-quality evidential statements from victims and witnesses.

BackgroundCOVID-19 break out has created panic and fear in society. A strict kind of lockdown was imposed in Wuhan, Hubei province of China. During home confinement due to lockdown, people face multidimensional issues. The present study explored the psychological impacts of COVID-19 home confinement during the lockdown period and Wuhan’s residents’ attitude toward physical activity.MethodsA cross-sectional online survey was conducted to collect the primary data according to the study objectives. The population was Wuhan residents who were in home confinement. A total of 2280 participant’s reply to the online questionnaire survey and collected data after quantifying the data, about 2200 ; about female, about male, others about, and about were not disclosed their gender participants responses were used for analysis. The collected data were analyzed through appropriate statistical techniques.ResultsAccording to results, H1 is supported with β = −40.793, t = 57.835, p = 0.000, which claimed a negative association between COVID-19 lockdown policy and behavior and attitude. Results for H2 reveals that the COVID-19 lockdown policy have negative influence on emotional control with β = −0.769, t = 46.766, p = 0.000 and it is supported. H3 documented a significant positive relationship between COVID-19 lockdown policy and lockdown period psychological impact, which means lockdown policy, is the main reason to increase the lockdown psychological impact. Further, COVID-19 lockdown policy have negative influence on physical activity and self-belief with β = −0.657, t = 32.766, p = 0.000 and β = −0.620, t = −6.766, p = 0.000 respectively. H6 stated that there is a positive impact of behavior and attitude toward physical activity. The results for H6, behavior, and attitude affecting the physical activity with β = 0.401, t = 10, p = 0.000, which is supported.ConclusionCOVID-19 home confinement created various psychological impacts, negatively affecting the emotional state due to depression and anxiety. Physical activity is the best strategy to manage human nature’s psychological issues, and people’s attitudes were positive toward physical activity during home confinement. However, the lockdown policy also affects physical activity participation negatively, and a sedentary lifestyle prevailed during home confinement.

India and Pakistan has fought four wars over Kashmir and hasheld rounds of talks without resolving the 72-year-old issue. The Indiangovernment’s revocation of the special status of Kashmir sets the stage for newclashes in the disputed region. Using documentary sources, surveys, and otherwritings, this study analyses the genesis of the conflict in Kashmir, bringingin historical facets together with discursive elements of the contemporarypolitical crisis in Kashmir. The study found that the Kashmir dispute hasmultiple causes the major one being the religious difference, a conflict betweenIndia, a predominately Hindu state, and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Inthe early phase, the conflict was between religion and secularism, embodiedin Pakistan and India, respectively both needing Muslim majority Kashmir toprove their basic political ideology right. Currently, the conflict has assumedpurely the religious colour: India aiming at integrating Kashmir into the Hindupolity and Pakistan claiming Kashmir for its having a Muslim majority. Thus,the unfinished agenda of partition continues.

The Cameron Highland’s by-election held in January 2019 waskeenly contested by two major political coalitions in a district in Pahang. Itwas an election with a difference. The ruling coalition at the national level wasthe underdog contesting in a state controlled by BN/UMNO, the oppositionwhich, in turn, has been in shambles since GE 14, with only three of 13 partiesremaining in the coalition. The by-election created history by electing an OrangAsli as a member of parliament. The ruling coalition lostthe by-election which was attributed to the use of race and religion by theopposition BN/UMNO in alliance with a party promoting race and religion.The candidate of the ruling coalition won the Chinese and some Indian votes.Based upon ethnographic fieldwork, targeted interviews, and documentarymaterials, this study analyses the Cameron Highland’s by-election by focusingupon several factors including the nature of the constituency, the party system,and the candidates campaigning highlighting the local and national issues. Thestudy found that racial issues did play a strategic role in the outcome of the byelection.The ruling coalition needs to manage the economy and address theissues faced by Malaysia’s myriad ethnic communities.

Terrorism is an old phenomenon but its modern manifestation was first noted in the 19th century with the anarchist group who assassinated Czar Alexander II in 1881. Since then it has continued unabated but its intensity and frequency increased in the 21st century. This study examines the trends in international terrorism and, in particular, analyses its causes and consequences. Based upon extensive literature and documentary research, this study found at least three perspectives that explain terrorism either as a reaction to socio-economic deprivation or as the product of religious fundamentalism or as a legitimate struggle to wipe out injustices perpetrated by the powerful against the powerless. Muslims condemn terrorism and suggest that the Western powers cease their policies of victimising the vulnerable populations, of sponsoring terrorists, of siding with Israel, and of denying others their right to liberty and sovereignty.