Advances in Social Sciences and Management

Exploring the Application of Financial Social Work Within a Social Development Paradigm: Advancing the Facilitation of Financial Capabilities of Financially Vulnerable Individuals and Communities

Ntobeko Bambeni — 2025-08-27

Financial capability is ibreasingly becoming a priority for policy makers, academics and practitioners at a global level due to its recognition of its contribution towards financial wellbeing and the economic factors that have an impact on everyone in society, especially those who are financially vulnerable. The narrative literature reviews explored the application of financial social work within a social development paradigm to advance the financial capabilities of financially vulnerable individuals and communities. The paper argues that infusing financial social work with developmental social work is perceived as a good combination because it recognises individuals' inherent capabilities and empowering elements that underpin the knowledge the knowledge and practice skills. Moreover, both financial social work and developmental social work endorse micro, mezzo and macro interventions for achieving sustainable. However, more efforts should be made at the macro level to bring about structural and systematic changes to the system that is fundamentally responsible for the financial vulnerability. To strengthen social workers' intereventions, there is a need to capacitate social workers by including themes related to financial capability in social work education curriculum and continuous education.

“Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor, the Wretched Refuse of Your Teeming Shore….” Well, Not so Fast: A Study of Immigrants, Immigration, and Immigration Reform

Richard J. Hunter — 2025-08-23

Is there an “immigration problem” in the United States? Or at least is there an “undocumented immigrant” problem in the United States? The answers to these questions may depend on how immigrants are counted, who conducts the count, and when a reliable count is made. Of the total population of nearly 335 million in the United States, 51.3 million immigrants were living in the United States in 2023. This number includes naturalized citizens, lawful permanent residents, and temporary residents. Estimates of undocumented immigrants vary widely depending on the methodology employed. Pew Research estimates 11.0 million in 2022; the Center for Immigration Studies estimates 11.7 million in 2017; the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) estimates 18.6 million in 2025; and the Migration Policy Institute, upon which much of this study is based, estimates 13.7 million or 4.3% of the U.S. population in 2023. This study investigates the issue of immigration in the United States—both lawful and undocumented—with a special focus on the immigration policies of President Joe Biden and President Donald Trump. It raises both “pro” and “con” arguments for immigration, citing important economic and taxation data, and focuses on allied issues such as deportation, ”the DACA program, and “Dreamers.” The study concludes by offering a “Modest Proposal” for potentially dealing with the immigration problem—which some have termed as a “crisis”—in the United States.

Challenges of Implementing Corporate Social Responsibility in Indonesia

Reza Fahlepy — 2025-07-11

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a form of corporate responsibility towards the social and natural environment as part of a sustainable development strategy. Although it has been regulated under Law No. 40 of 2007 concerning Limited Liability Companies and Law No. 25 of 2007 concerning Investment, the implementation of CSR in Indonesia still faces several fundamental obstacles. This research is motivated by the low effectiveness of CSR implementation, which is often symbolic in nature and fails to address the community's actual needs. The research question posed is: What are the main challenges faced by Indonesia in implementing corporate social responsibility effectively? This study employs a normative juridical method with a qualitative descriptive approach, utilizing a literature review to inform its analysis. The findings reveal four main challenges in the implementation of CSR in Indonesia: (1) the lack of corporate commitment in implementing CSR strategically; (2) suboptimal regulatory frameworks; (3) lack of synergy among stakeholders; and (4) socio-cultural challenges. Therefore, regulatory reforms, increased awareness among business actors, and participatory approaches that are sensitive to local contexts are essential to ensure that CSR contributes meaningfully to sustainable national development.

Heads of Departments' Views on Strategies for Enhancing Graduate Employability Through Competence-Based Education and Training in Zimbabwean Polytechnic Colleges

Mukutyu Spencer — 2025-07-20

The purpose of this study was to explore the views of heads of departments on the strategies for enhancing graduate employability through competence-based education and training in the Zimbabwean context. An attempt was made to integrate all the arguments into one consistent synthesis which demonstrates effective strategies for enhancing graduate employability. A qualitative approach was used in data analysis using themes and an interview guide was used to generate data from 10 heads of department from four polytechnic colleges in Harare metropolitan region. From the findings, it was concluded that competence-based education and training, on the job education and training, development of generic skills, entrepreneurship education, collaboration with industry and continuous training and professional development were strategies for enhancing graduate employability through competence-based education and training in Technical Vocational Education and Training colleges.

Semantic Duality in Translation: Auto-Antonyms in English Versions of the Quran

Hassan Badr — 2025-07-22

A great deal of research work, in the field of lexical semantics, has been made for investigating antonyms either within or across languages. Yet, notably, auto antonymy, in terms of research, has been received relatively little scholarly attention. This study highlights the potential usefulness to gain new theoretical insights into the effect of context in shaping Quranic auto-antonyms that are not auto-antonyms by definition. The researcher was stimulated by the semantic pragmatic embellishment in the Quranic rhetoric in terms of forming self-opposing meanings within one lexical item when subject to the authority of context. This is a comparative, qualitative study that aims to assess, with regard to translation, the different ways of addressing auto-antonyms brought about by context. The study has been applied on five of the most common and credible English versions of the Quran in terms of accuracy and fluency. A purposive sample of contextual Quranic auto antonyms were selected and consulted from different academic references. The findings demonstrated that contextual Quranic auto-antonyms are ambiguous, and accordingly, do not lend themselves seamlessly to translation. In addition, they revealed that every translator has their own personal touch in approaching self-opposed words/phrases in the Quran.

The Influence of Organizational Capacity on Employee Performance in Local Authorities in Zambia: Case of Ndola City Council

Karen Kayuni — 2025-08-02

This study explored the influence of organizational capacity on employee performance in local authorities in Zambia, using Ndola City Council as a case study. The study used a mixed methods design. Ndola City Council (NCC) employees were the primary targets and they were selected by probability sampling, while a fraction of members of the Ndola community and other stakeholders were selected using non-probability sampling. Consequently, questionnaires were administered to Ndola City Council employees using a Survey questionnaire, key informant interviews were conducted with Management staff from Ndola City Council, Ndola community members and other stakeholders were also interviewed. Data obtained from the survey questionnaire was analysed quantitatively from the Survey Monkey Software and data obtained from interviews was analysed qualitatively through the thematic approach.

This study established that generally, the main organizational capacities at Ndola City Council are Managerial, Technical and Fiscal Capacity. These capacities have influence on the performance of employees as is evident in this study. When organizational capacity is adequate, there is good employee performance which positively affects service delivery. The study revealed that the local authority is well structured, planning is done in line with policies, NCC staff are adequate and qualified, NCC staff are paid on time and finances are used for their intended purpose. This leads to good employee performance. When organizational capacity is not effective, employee performance is compromised and this has a negative impact on service delivery. The findings have demonstrated that there is unequal treatment of departments at NCC, poor collaboration between NCC and the community, NCC has inadequate equipment (for example; waste management trucks, computers, etc), inadequate finances, NCC is facing increasing expenditure without additional revenues, and staff salaries are low at NCC. This leads to poor performance of employees. Further, the study concluded that, community members and other stakeholders do not comply as expected and this has contributed to the local authority not being able to deliver services accordingly. There are a number of implementable ways of enhancing NCC’s employee performance in the context of organizational capacity like; treating all departments of the council equally, increasing council workers’ wages, investing in equipment, need for more commercial ventures, and the need for more interactions between NCC, the community and other stakeholders. The research therefore, recommends that, the local authority finds ways of increasing the organizational capacity by increasing the revenue base, creating more revenue collection ventures and ensuring that the local authority and resources are well managed. In addition, the study recommends that, the government and NCC strengthen compliance of the community and other stakeholders to regulations. This will help improve organizational capacity, which will improve employee performance and consequently service delivery.

Emergence in the Context of a Mining Scandal: Revitalising a Hollow Slogan in Cameroon

Salomon Bissohong — 2025-08-02

Emergence is an expression that is used and evoked to introduce or close public policy communications in Cameroon. In particular, the executive concocts these in order to give meaning to the strategic orientations of government action. Academics, scientists of the same origin and dignitaries of the regime, point to 2035 as the target date, to credit by their contributions, this happy ambition. However, given the obsolescence of basic infrastructures and structures, the inefficiency of newly acquired ones and the organisation of daily life, what content do we put into the concept of emergence? Our hypothesis is that emergence is a constellation of concrete achievements of public utility, futuristic both in their diversity and in their density. The objective of this work is practical and scientific, and Ngaoundere, the capital of the Adamaoua region, will serve as a practical framework. Michel Crozier's strategic analysis provides us with the essential determinants to guide this research. Three results were obtained. The first is the fundamental elements that contribute to the emergence of a nation. The second, the unlikely manifestation of this stature as evoked and seen from our research field. Lastly, the atypical route which, thanks to its subsoil, must prove that it can be done.

Psychosociology of a Population Awaiting Industrial Development of the Mining Type

Salomon Bissohong — 2025-08-02

A number of cognitive, structural and infrastructural subtleties provide ample information on the thinly veiled manifestation of the "mining town" stature. These include: formative options in the field of acquisition of bookish, technological and conceptual knowledge and the level of entrepreneurial culture of the players, the standard of living of the majority, the quality of infrastructures, among others. The clues paving the way for this consecration remain non-existent in NGAOUNDAL. Bauxite was discovered here in 1906, and will be mined on an industrial scale on part of the town's territory. In view of this exploitation, this town should stand out differently from the others. The mindset of the population needs to be rebuilt. Sociology in particular is capable of using an empirical approach to explain the above analogies. Documentary research, interviews and observation are mobilised for this work. The methodological individualism of Raymond Boudon and Max Weber will guide our exercise. Four results were obtained. - The damaging effects of psychosocial stagnation in a population. - The harmful impact of old routines in terms of hoping for a different outcome. - The psychosocial itinerary of people and its effects on industrial transformation. - The skills and initiatory paths that is essential in a mining context.