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Authoritarian Tendencies in the Polish Political System

Authoritarian Tendencies in the Polish Political System

Author(s): Jerzy Jaskiernia / Language(s): English / Issue: 2/2017

Keywords: Poland; constitution; political system; 2015 elections; Law and Justice; authoritarian tendencies

The author analyses some authoritarian tendencies which occur in the Polish political system after 2015 elections since one party (Law and Justice – PiS) has started to control the office of the President and both houses of parliament and has introduced changes in functioning of the Constitutional Tribunal and the judiciary. To some extent PiS represents social attitudes typical for the socialist (social-democratic) parties, with some populist message, but with the combination of a conservative approach to several issues and a nationalistic stand on perception of patriotic mood. To respond to the widely felt hardships and anxieties, PiS ran a campaign that called for vastly expanded public spending. It promised to increase the minimum wage and the personal income tax exemption; to offer a new child support payments (program Family 500+), housing subsidies (program Housing+), and free prescription drugs for seniors; and to lower the retirement age from the current 67 to 65 for men and 65 to 60 for women. PiS also exploited the European migrant crisis. It is too early to claim that the authoritarian tendencies, observed after 2015 elections, have dominated the Polish political system for a longer time. Still an important counterbalance offer the political opposition and mechanisms of the civil society. The Polish fundamental law still brings about the criteria to analyze a political practice and instruments to protect to some extent the balance of power and pluralistic values. The open question is what tendency would bring about the constitutional referendum proposed by President Andrzej Duda for 11 November 2018, on the 100th anniversary of independence of Poland. It might answer the question whether some autocratic tendencies would create the mood to change the constitution in that direction.

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Corruption - A Dark Side of Entrepreneurship. Corruption and Innovations

Corruption - A Dark Side of Entrepreneurship. Corruption and Innovations

Author(s): Marek Tomaszewski / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2018

Keywords: corruption; entrepreneurship; the sand-the-wheels theory; the grease-the-wheels

In this article, corruption is treated as an expression of human entrepreneurship, which does not fully fit in the commonly accepted moral and legal standards. Despite being negatively perceived, it is persistently present in the public, economic and political life of every country as evidenced by a number of press releases on corruption. Research literature analysis reveals the existence of two conflicting opinions with regard to the way in which corruption affects innovative activity of companies and economic growth. The more morally correct theory, which can be dubbed the sand-the-wheels theory, assumes that corruption negatively influences innovative activity and economic growth. Whereas, the grease-the-wheels theory, which is inconsistent with the principles of social responsibility of business, argues for the positive influence of corruption on innovative activity of companies and economic growth. This article is a voice in that discussion.

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Some Effects of Intellectual Property Protection on National Economies: Theoretical and Econometric Study

Some Effects of Intellectual Property Protection on National Economies: Theoretical and Econometric Study

Author(s): Tomáš Evan,Pavla Vozárová,Ilya Bolotov / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2018

Keywords: intellectual property; economic theory; dynamic panel

This paper aims to theoretically derive and afterwards econometrically assess the impact of intellectual property protection (IPP) on national economies. The authors’ main hypothesis is that by creating a form of non-market protection, IPP limits free competition and has no positive effects on national economies and the world economy in general. The hypothesis is tested through estimation of relationship between charges for the use of intellectual property and 1) gross domestic product, 2) GDP growth, 3) unemployment, 4) exports of high-tech products, 5) FDI outflow, and 6) expenses on research and development in a panel dataset of 146 countries in years 2005–2014 based Arellano-Bond estimator for dynamic panel models. The data tells us that changes in these charges have not a significant impact on the studied indicators, which counts against claims of positive impact of IPP on economies and growth.

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Determinants of Net Trade Credit: A Panel VAR Approach Based on Industry

Determinants of Net Trade Credit: A Panel VAR Approach Based on Industry

Author(s): Mara Madaleno,Nicoleta Barbuta-Misu,Fitim Deari / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2019

Keywords: panel vector autoregression; profit margin; liquidity ratio; collection period; credit period;financial crisis; banks; resolution; internal recapitalization; resolution instruments;

This paper aims to study the dynamic relationship between dependent variables of trade credit (net trade credit to total assets and net trade credit to sales), and six independent variables (profit margin, liquidity ratio, and the dummies collection, credit, size, and crisis) using panel vector autoregression during the period 2004−2013 considering data from eight European countries. The results indicate that net trade credit is negatively influenced by crises, forcing firms to use it less due to survival effects but imposing higher trade restrictions. Notwithstanding, net trade credit to sales is positively influenced by the liquidity ratio and profit margin, and vice-versa, but has a negative relationship with credit and collection dummies, imposing credit shortenings and forcing reliance on short-term credit. For the overall period, firms seem to have sold more than having bought on credit due to tightening trade credit, an effect of the financial crisis.

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Exposure to Hate Speech in the Digital Age. Effects on Stereotypes About Roma People

Exposure to Hate Speech in the Digital Age. Effects on Stereotypes About Roma People

Author(s): Dana Raluca Buturoiu,Nicoleta Corbu / Language(s): English / Issue: 37/2020

Keywords: Online hate speech; Roma minority; Stereotypes about Roma; Discrimination;

Hateful content directed against ethnic minority groups has gained momentum due to the open nature of social media platforms and the legal protection towards freedom of speech. Being the largest in the European Union, the Roma ethnic minority group faces generalized discrimination with regards to many vital areas such as access to employment, healthcare services, housing (including public housing), and education. In Romania, which is home for large numbers of Roma people (varying from 1,5 to 3 million people), such discrimination is widely spread in common online settings. Based on a 4x2 between-subjects experiment (N=351), this study sheds light on the effects of exposure to hate speech directed against the Roma ethnic minority in the digital age, with particular reference to some dominant stereotypes about Roma people. Main results show that exposure to hateful content (i.e., neither mild/ derogatory, not extreme/ full hate) directed against Roma people might function in the sense of diminishing negative stereotypes rather than enhancing them. Such findings could be useful in future studies investigating hate speech effects and in the development of strategies and policies addressing discrimination against Roma ethnic minority.

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Human resource management in environmental protection in Serbia

Human resource management in environmental protection in Serbia

Author(s): Neda Nikolić,Vladimir Cvetković,Miodrag Zečević / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2020

Keywords: human resource;management;environmental protection;disaster risk management;Serbia

Starting from the fact that the units of local self-government of the Republic of Serbia are not sufficiently oriented towards innovations related to human resources and the environment, the application of quantitative research tradition examines the positioning and understanding of certain procedures and decisions of human resources management regarding the functioning of the environmental protection system, on the one hand, and future strategies for changing the given system, on the other. A series of 105 face-to-face interviews were conducted during the year of 2016 in 105 of the 191 municipalities in the Republic of Serbia. Examination of the attitudes of the local self-government was carried out using a specially designed closed electronic questionnaire. The results of the multivariate regressions show that the most important predictor of the possible improvement of the environment is the size of the municipality. The remaining variables (e.g., human resources policy, human resources service) did not have significant effects on the ability to improve the environment. In more than half of local self-governments, there was no clearly defined human resources strategy in the field of environmental protection, an environmental protection service, an Environmental Action Plan, as well as an employment plan for waste management in local governments, etc. The research has shown that top managers of local governments agree that the management of human resources in environmental protection represents a significant opportunity to improve the quality of the environment. The results of the research can be used to improve the organization of human resource competence in environmental protection and the quality of a working and sustainable environment in the area of local self-government.

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Self-orienting armillary dial of the Professor Radovan Danić

Self-orienting armillary dial of the Professor Radovan Danić

Author(s): Milutin Tadić,Zorica Prnjat / Language(s): English,Serbian / Issue: 1/2020

Keywords: portable sundial;universal equinoctial ring dial;armillary sundial;mathematical geography

Prof. Radovan Danić, PhD (1893-1979), an honorary lifetime President of the Astronomical Society Ruđer Bošković in Belgrade, owned a brass universal equinoctial ring sundial (98 mm in diameter), preserved by his descendants, who continued his work on popularizing astronomy through the activities of the society. The sundial (ring dial) was measured, tested and compared to similar portable sundials (pocket sundials) exhibited in various European museums. In the classification scheme, along with the Parmenion’s and astronomical rings, it belongs to a group of pocket armillary sundials that do not require a compass. More precisely, it is a self-orienting armillary sundial whose rings are located under the circles of the celestial sphere of the same name at the moment of measurement. Therefore, when the apparent solar time is known, it turns into a solar compass. A corresponding sundial on the horizon to the self-orienting armillary sundial is the analemmatic sundial. The construction of a self-orienting armillary sundial was first described in the late 16th century by the English mathematician William Oughtred (1574-1660). In collaboration with the gnomonists from England and Austria, we determined where and when Professor Danić’s sundial was constructed: Vienna, second quarter of the 18th century. Originally, the sundial was adjusted for the latitude of Belgrade or Zemun (nowadays, a Belgrade municipality), which were under the Austrian rule for a long time during the 18th century. It is a beautiful, well-crafted, well-preserved, expensive sundial and astronomical instrument that should be kept in a museum, in the first place in the Museum of Astronomy of the Astronomical Observatory in Belgrade.

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Effects of Health Capital on Productivity and Export: In the Wake of International Economic Integration

Effects of Health Capital on Productivity and Export: In the Wake of International Economic Integration

Author(s): Nguyen Van Tran,Mohammad Alauddin / Language(s): English / Issue: 65/2019

Keywords: health capital; labor productivity; export and openness;

Employing Arellano-Bond Dynamic Panel GMM estimators of 106 countries, this paper investigates the importance of health capital (life expectancy at birth) on benefits from international economic integration. It finds a significant positive impact of health capital on economic performance through the improvement in labor productivity for countries with greater trade openness. Although health capital significantly accelerates the impact of trade openness on labor productivity in low-income economies, the opposite is the case for upper mid- and high-income economies. Further, health capital decelerates the impact of financial openness in low-income economies on productivity, whereas accelerates the influence of financial openness on productivity in high-income economies. However, no significant relationship is found between health capital and the rate of export performance. It also does not influence openness variables on the rate of export performance. Interestingly, improvement of life expectancy at birth strengthens the rate of export performance until income growth slows.

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Happiness Flight with Institutional Capabilities: Evidence of the Effects of Economic Freedom on Subjective Well-Being in Developing Countries

Happiness Flight with Institutional Capabilities: Evidence of the Effects of Economic Freedom on Subjective Well-Being in Developing Countries

Author(s): Muhammad Nadeem,Yang JUN,Yu TIAN,Zahid HUSSAIN,Muhammad YOUSUF / Language(s): English / Issue: 65/2019

Keywords: institutional capabilities; economic freedom; subjective well-being;

Recent empirical studies show that institutions are related to the elevation of subjective well-being in developing countries. Most of these studies use the change or increase in economic freedom and its impact on subjective well-being. None the less, the relative version of economic freedom is also feasible and none of the authors have analyzed this possibility. Furthermore, not much is discussed about the individual aspects of institutional capabilities valued by the citizens and how these preferences change the level of subjective well-being in developing countries. This study empirically analyzes whether institutional capabilities are conducive or detrimental to subjective well-being in a panel data of 30 countries between 1995 and 2014. This study attempts to close these gaps by conducting Random Effects analysis as an empirical strategy. Results show that both changes in economic freedom and its relative version are positively significant toward subjective well-being. The further finding indicates that the citizens of lower-middle-income and upper-middle-income countries are more sensitive to the access to sound money as compared to the citizens from higher-income countries.

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Environmental, social, governance (ESG), and financial performance of European banks

Environmental, social, governance (ESG), and financial performance of European banks

Author(s): Oana-Marina Batae,Voicu D. Dragomir,Liliana FELEAGA / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2020

Keywords: Banking sector; ESG performance; Corporate social responsibility; Environmental performance; Corporate governance; Emerging Europe; Developed Europe

Research Question: How do ESG and financial performance indicators vary according to different classifications of European banks? Motivation: Banks’ ESG performance and its relationship with corporate financial performance represents a field of continuous interest for researchers and practitioners. The results of previous studies are still mixed, either positive, negative, or even neutral. What’s new? The novelty of this paper is represented by the statistical comparison of variables that measure the ESG and financial performance of European banks based on three classifications that we propose (i.e. the geographical regions of Europe, functional currency, and cluster analysis on GDP and population of European countries, respectively). To the best of our knowledge, there are no studies applied to the banking sector, analyzing the selected variables between groups of banks according to the aforementioned classifications. So what? We contribute to the field by extending Thomson Reuters’ grouping of banks (Emerging and Developed Europe) with three more classifications. The comparison of ESG and financial performance data contributes to practice by highlighting which parts of Europe contain the banks with the highest and respectively the lowest values of ESG and financial performance, controversies, and audit fees. Therefore, the results will help investors, policymakers, regulatory bodies, bank managers, and auditors to acknowledge the significant differences within Europe and adopt appropriate measures that could improve the financial and sustainability performance of banks. Data: We collect data from Thomson Reuters Eikon, World Bank statistics, and EuroVoc for 108 European banks (81 from Developed Europe and 27 for Emerging Europe) for 2018, the most recent year on which all information is available. Tools: We conduct a cluster analysis on the macroeconomic variables of the study: the GDP per capita and the population. We used group tests and the ANOVA test as methods in analyzing the results. Findings and Contribution: We contribute with a quantitative study that fills the gap in the literature regarding significant differences that are obtained in ESG and financial performance of banks classified as Developed Europe versus Emerging Europe; Eurozone versus non-Euro countries; Western, CEE, Northern, and Southern banks; small GDP – large population and large GDP – small population clusters. Our methodology will improve future research in adopting better and more transparent classifications of companies analyzed at an international level.

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Neoliberalism Meets Minority Nationalism. The Politics of Hungarian Higher Education in Romania

Neoliberalism Meets Minority Nationalism. The Politics of Hungarian Higher Education in Romania

Author(s): Irina Culic / Language(s): English / Issue: 02/2019

Keywords: Hungarians from Romania; ethnic politics; multiculturalism; neoliberalisation of higher education;

A Hungarian public university was one of the main demands of the leaders of Hungarians from Romania after the fall of the communist regime in 1989. Almost three decades later, higher education in Hungarian has developed into a precarious, fragmented, and divided institutional assemblage, solidified around two main components, the Hungarian line of study at the well-established public Babeș-Bolyai University and the new private university Sapientia, reliant on the Hungarian government’s financial support. The article investigates how Hungarians from Romania, whose persistent ethnic politics brought them extensive recognition, and who were successful in creating a Hungarian parallel society, failed to converge in achieving one of their most important goals. By unpacking this case of intra-ethnic unmixing, it shows how institutional arrangements affect the stakes and means of the struggle for minority rights, and how structural asymmetry in numbers and power carries disadvantage into the life of institutions.

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Innovation Environment towards Smart Specialization and Circular Economy

Innovation Environment towards Smart Specialization and Circular Economy

Author(s): Yanko Hristozov,Petar Chobanov / Language(s): English / Issue: 6/2020

Keywords: JEL: Q53; Q55; Q58; L59

The present study is devoted to the opportunities provided by the circular economy for the implementation of the integrated strategy for smart specialisation. At the end of the period of validity of the current strategy, it is imperative to monitor the extent to which the identified thematic areas in the strategy have fulfilled their purpose, as well as whether a change in them is necessary.

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The Superstructure of Myths’ Matrices and Their Transformations Based on the Latest Works of Croatian, Montenegrin, and Kosovan Playwrights and Stage Producers

Nadbudowa matrycy mitów i ich transformacje na przykładzie najnowszej twórczości chorwackich, czarnogórskich i kosowskich dramatopisarzy oraz realizatorów scenicznych

Author(s): Gabriela Abrasowicz / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 39/2019

Keywords: playwriting; theatre; transfer; transgression; post-Yugoslav region;

Myths evolve continuously and they are influenced by transfer; in this way they cross the boundary between ages, geocultural areas, and art genres. This dynamic system of symbols, archetypes, images, and schemes has been integrated by culture and stimulates the artistic activity of the 21st century. This also happens when it comes to the playwrights and stage producers of the post-Yugoslav countries. One should point to the extraordinary transformations of myths by Ivana Sajko (Croatia), Ljubomir Ðurković (Montenegro), and Jeton Neziraj (Kosovo). As a result of such strategies as, for example, prefiguration, transposition, and reinterpretation, ancient and modern contents overlap and create new quality. The theatrical plays which are based on such texts are other examples of transfer and transformation depending on the performative circumstances of the exposition. Moreover, these productions are transcultural and transgressive.

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“Hesperiam sua Libra tenet, qua condita Roma […]” The tale of birth and rebirth of Rome in astrological contexts

Hesperiam sua Libra tenet, qua condita Roma […]” Astrologiczne konteksty opowieści o narodzinach i odrodzeniu Rzymu

Author(s): Radosław Piętka / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 14/2019

Keywords: antique astrology; founding of Rome; Marcus Manilius; renovatio;

The article aims at pinpointing variegated circumstances which yielded astrological ideas during the end of Republic and the early Principate. By assuming as a starting point the enigmatic sentence from Marcus Manilius’ Astronomica, which refers to Rome’s “birth” horoscope and simultaneously to the zodiac sign (Libra) of the princeps, the author attempts to show various contexts that facilitated the appearance of astral symbolism in texts of the epoch in question. The debate regarding the Rome’s horoscope, already quite enliven during the Antiquity, which evoked the mythical times of the Eternal City’s beginnings but, at the same time, reflected the then current affairs, clearly shows that the astrological discourse was not solely a matter of specialised “knowledge” displayed by the authors who grappled with the subject, but it usually entailed traces of complex ideological, political, and worldview related entanglements that to a great extent shaped the nature of cultural Roman “revolution” carried out over two thousand years ago.

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The portraits of the prince Neagoe Basarab. Votive paintings and embroideries

Portretele domnitorului Neagoe Basarab. Tablouri votive şi broderii

Author(s): Laura-Liana Turcan / Language(s): Romanian / Issue: 12/2017

Keywords: Neagoe Basarab; Craiovescu boyards; Wallachia; Episcopal church from Curtea de Argeș; Ostrov hermitage; votive paintings; embroidery;

Portraits of founders and historical scenes have a documentary value but also an undeniable artistic importance for both historians and art historians. They are genuine documents and sources for the age determination of the monument’s actual building and painting, as well as for the restoration of the physical appearance of the respective founders and for the study of the period costumes that they used to wear. The present study analyzes some of the portraits of Prince Neagoe Basarab and his family, votive paintings and embroideries, in which there is a great freedom of artistic expression of the painter and where theological themes are symbolically combined with the historical ones.

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Electoral Accountability and Substantive Representation of National Minorities: The Case of Serbia

Electoral Accountability and Substantive Representation of National Minorities: The Case of Serbia

Author(s): Jelena Lončar / Language(s): English / Issue: 04/2016

Keywords: minority representation; ethnic parties; substantive representation; Serbia;

This article examines under what conditions descriptive representatives of national minorities can also act as substantive representatives. It provides an empirical analysis of the behaviour of the representatives with ethnic minority backgrounds in the eighth National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia. Specifically, the article builds upon a content analysis of all interventions in the plenary parliamentary debates of the thirtyone minority MPs in the period between June 2008 and March 2012. The analysis suggests that having a minority ethnic background or political party registered as a political party of national minority are not sufficient conditions for substantive minority representation. The findings show that minority representatives elected on minority electoral lists engage more in substantive representation of minorities than descriptive representatives elected to parliament either as members of mainstream parties or through pre-electoral arrangements of minority parties with mainstream political parties.

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The Limits and Ambiguities of the Albanian “National Question” in Post-communism: Political Parties, Albanian Nationalism, and External Actors

The Limits and Ambiguities of the Albanian “National Question” in Post-communism: Political Parties, Albanian Nationalism, and External Actors

Author(s): Odeta Barbullushi / Language(s): English / Issue: 03/2016

Keywords: national unification; Albanian national question; European Integration; nationalizing moves; discursive tree;

This article interrogates the mobilization of the Albanian national question in Albania in 2012. The two interrelated questions of the article are why the nationalist card is not used consistently and why it failed to trigger a policy debate, or lead to policy changes. The main argument of the article is that, more than a policy alternative, “national unification”is a discursive practice performing two functions: Externally, it signals sovereignty and subjectivity to the international community in Albania, primarily the European Union (EU) and the United States, and as such it is used for political leverage, particularly at critical moments. Internally, it aims at constructing national cohesion, while drawing identity lines between the main political parties. This is particularly the case in moments of political instability, juncture or pressure, as before elections. However, its limited ability to inform policy and mobilize political action results not only from the demobilizing power of international actors, for example, the EU and the United States, but also the dominant position that a specific discourse of “good Albanian nationalism” holds in the political debate in post-communist Albania.

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Informal Practices, Unemployment, and Migration in Small-Town Poland

Informal Practices, Unemployment, and Migration in Small-Town Poland

Author(s): Anne White / Language(s): English / Issue: 02/2016

Keywords: Poland; migration; networks; unemployment; informality;

The article applies a livelihood strategy approach to understanding how potential migrants in Poland make decisions about finding employment in Poland or abroad, in the context of a Polish labour market characterised by the highest incidence of temporary employment in the EU; regional economic inequality; and local pockets of high unemployment. More specifically, it examines the situation and perspectives of longterm unemployed people in depressed small towns and rural areas. It explores how—in the view of forty interviewees—informal practices influence their lives and prospects. It is well known that unemployment can lead to migration, but not all unemployed people migrate, begging the question of why and when do they do migrate. The article, based on a small sample, cannot provide definitive answers to such questions, but detailed interviews about individual livelihoods can establish some patterns of causation: for example, whether and why interviewees see migration as preferable to informal work in Poland. Interviewees tended to attribute their lack of employment in Poland to not having useful connections who could secure them “decent” work; they felt they were being pushed abroad because the only alternative was local jobs which were informal in the sense of being in breach of labour law. By contrast, many interviewees had more useful contacts abroad than at home; networks represented both escape routes and opportunities. Interviewees often expressed a preference for using informal channels to migrate, though their stories also illustrated the riskiness of depending on networks.

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The collection of the Museum of Folk Art “Dr. Nicolae Minovici”: artefacts, functions and contexts

Colecția Muzeului de Artă Populară Dr. Nicolae Minovici: artefacte, funcții și contexte

Author(s): Silvia Zamfir / Language(s): Romanian / Issue: 31/2019

Keywords: museum;dowry chest;wedding jar;museification;contexts;functions;

The collection of the Museum of Folk Art “Dr. Nicolae Minovici”: artefacts, functions and contexts. Within a museum of folk art, one may see items that once had a utilitarian function in the Romanian areal. After their removal from this environment, items lost this funcion. Being brought in a museum, in a collection of items of folk art, exhibited according to aesthetic criteria, items bear just an aesthetic function. Visitors perceive objects only for their beauty and nothing more. Some recollect that they have seen them before, but a few know that the dowry chest or the wedding jar bore a distinct function, performed ritual, magic, symbolic and utilitarian functions. In this paper, I shall consider the collection of the Museum of Folk Art Dr. Nicolae Minovici. The subjects I shall treat in his paper are: Nicolae Minovici and the Museum of Folk Art “Dr. Nicolae Minovici”; Artefacts: stories and museification; The Dowry Chest; The Dowry Chest.

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VIRTUAL REALITY ASSISTED PRONUNCIATION TRAINING (VRAPT) FOR YOUNG EFL LEARNERS

VIRTUAL REALITY ASSISTED PRONUNCIATION TRAINING (VRAPT) FOR YOUNG EFL LEARNERS

Author(s): Minoo Alemi,Shiva Khatoony / Language(s): English / Issue: 4/2020

Keywords: Virtual Reality Assisted pronunciation Training (VRAPT); pronunciation practice; young EFL learners

Technology integration has become increasingly prevalent in language education and technology teaching tools are currently used for English instruction. In line with this trend, it is also believed to be influential in teaching and learning pronunciation. To cast an empirical light on this issue, this study aimed to analyse the influence of Virtual Reality Assisted Pronunciation Training (VRAPT) on pronunciation of young Iranian EFL learners. With respect to this, 18 low-intermediate English language learners (6-12 years old) were invited to take part in the study held in the lab at Sharif University of Technology in Iran. First, their English language pronunciation was measured by a pronunciation pre-test through Speech ace Browser. Next, in a virtual environment, during 10 sessions (each session 90 minutes), the participants received instructions on all of the pronunciation items measured in the test (consists of English vowels like /ɪ/ and /i/ and also vowels of /ʊ/ and /u/) through the Virtual Reality (VR) game administered by a humanoid robot. The results of a paired samples t-test revealed that there was a significant difference between learners’ performance before and after the training sessions. This paper recommends that simulated games within virtual reality could be applied in enhancing pronunciation skills of EFL learners and utilized in helping them to develop native-like pronunciation. It also generates new ways of thinking about VRAPT as an innovative teaching approach and creating an efficient and pleasurable English learning environment.

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