People, Place, and Purpose

While higher ed institutions have been incorporating online learning into their curriculum and delivery of content, the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic acted as a catalyst for major reform and reconsideration of learning practices, especially online. This chapter focuses on the ramifications of the pandemic on people, place, and purpose in ways that will have long-lasting meaning for both higher education options and the future of work for years to come. From the form of delivery to the way in which content becomes measured, mastered, and linked to employment opportunities, the future of higher education and work will demand non-degree offerings (NDO) that align with skills gap needs to improve efficiency, speed to completion, and qualifications for jobs and/or promotion.

Internal Control: Its Role in the Reduction of Fraud and Professional Misconduct among SMEs

The issue of fraud and professional misconduct is a challenge to many organizations. However, the small-scale and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) are more vulnerable. This study evaluates the role of internal control in the reduction of fraud and professional misconduct among SMEs in the Enugu metropolis. This study adopted survey research design. The research made the following major findings: that internal controls are put in place by SMEs, that internal controls are adhered to in SMEs, and that the internal controls implemented are effective in curbing fraud and professional misconduct in SMEs. Hence, the research recommend that owners and managers of SMEs should evaluate existing internal control systems and continue to implement good internal controls and ensure that proper financial records are kept and statements are prepared periodically, and small-scale enterprises that do not have internal controls should establish such and implement them to curb fraud and professional misconduct and thereby improve efficiency of operations.

Simplified calculation of friction mean effective pressure for fast simulation of fuel consumption

An environmentally friendly and economical ship operation can be accomplished through many different methods. Most of these approaches focus on technological solutions, e.g. internal engine measures in order to make the engine more eco-friendly, by changing engine control parameters for a better connection between propulsion system and ship, by usage of different fuels or fuel supplements or installation of exhaust gas-treatment systems. For many ships, it is neither efficient nor economically viable to replace or improve existing power generation or propulsion systems in order to improve efficiency or reduce emissions. Some of the internal measures used to reduce NOx-emissions like exhaust gas recirculation even lead to a higher fuel consumption. The vessel itself is still controlled by a crew and they should be kept in the loop to improve efficiency. Therefore optimal operational procedures for handling ships and specifically the outcome of engine manoeuvres is a substantial source for eco-friendly ship operations. The German research project MEmBran (Modelling Emissions and Fuel Consumption during Ship Manoeuvres) addresses especially the basis for optimising ship engine manoeuvres. It focusses on very detailed simulation of the processes of currently existing ship diesel engines, especially in a first step 4-stroke engines in order to implement models in wider comprehensive ship handling simulation software. As part of an existing planning and prediction software that can be used on board, it enables the watch keeping nautical officer and the shipping company to forecast and compare the fuel consumption of the ship for each manoeuvre. In order to reach this goal it is necessary to use fast calculating and stable methods that can be used to forecast the power output of the engine and the fuel consumption. This paper discusses an approach to calculate friction mean effective pressure.